The Day it Changed
by Go-Colts
Summary: On a fateful day Ron and Kim's once unbreakable bond is shattered. Amid the turmoil, Kim strives to pick up the broken pieces of a once priceless friendship. Complete.
1. Default Chapter

A/N—Starting to rewrite chapters.

There are times when we don't know how much people can mean to us until we have lost them, pushed them too far.

**Chapter 1**

**Middleton****, Colorado******

"Ron, hurry up!" Kim Possible's voice carried through the Stoppable household, jerking Ron from his thoughts. Bright sunlight poured into his room on this hot, sunny summer Sunday, giving the room an extremely cheerful nature. He slowly put on his red shirt, thoughts once again drifting to his best friend. _God, I haven't seen KP for three months, and I've been missing her like crazy. She's always hanging out with her popular friends now._ Ron sighed to himself, realizing the veracity of his thoughts. _Not only that, but I have to bring up my grades if I'm going to go to the same college as her._

"Ron, we're going to be late if you don't hurry up!" Finishing dressing, Ron ran downstairs to greet Kim. As he laid eyes on her for the first time in seemingly forever, he couldn't help but realize her exquisite beauty; she had thick, red hair down to her shoulders and the athletic figure of a gymnast.

"Sorry KP; I'm not using to waking up early." She just rolled her eyes before replying.

"Ron, it's ten o clock; the early bird sale started at six."

Normally, Ron would have preferred sleep to almost anything except eating. In this case, however, he would have given up sleep just to spend time with his best friend. After all, she hadn't dropped by or even bothered to call after their last mission, and Ron could clearly see that they were drifting.

'_No matter, we'll repair our relationship today.'_

'_Just like old times_' he thought to himself, as he said goodbye to his parents and followed Kim out the door.

---

**Ron's POV**

"So, Ron, senior year's coming up. Aren't you excited?" Kim said cheerfully as I rode along in her car.

"You know me, KP. I'm the Ron-man; I go with the flow." I saw Kim's face get serious as she glanced over at me.

"You do know you have to bring up your grades if you want to go to college, right? I mean, we've been together since we were kids. I just can't imagine leaving you behind now."

I sighed. Kim, the paragon of perfection, was right as usual. Kind, athletic, talented…and beautiful. It took me some time to finally admit to myself that I found her attractive, and for the past few years I've kind of liked Kim more than a friend; yet, with each passing year I found it harder and harder to keep it to myself. It drives me nuts to be by her and to know that I would never be able to have her. Quite frankly, I definitely wasn't the type of guy she dated. _You're a loser_ a voice in my head said, _and she's the perfect example of perfection. Way out of your league._ Basically, those were the same thoughts that had plagued me for years.

"Earth to Ron," Kim said, once again snapping me back to reality.

"Huh?" I muttered, confused.

"I asked you if you wanted to go to Bueno Nacho after we went shopping. My treat."

"Well duh! It's only the bestest place in the whole entire world," I said enthusiastically. "Besides, we haven't gone there in a while. I've really missed

spending time with you."

"Ron, we've been best friends since…well, always. I promise you we'll spend more time together, starting with Bueno Nacho tonight."

_Yes! Just like old times!_ My troubles instantly disappeared, replaced by the happiness of being able to once again spend some quality time with Kim.

---

As we arrived at the mall, Kim sprinted off towards Club Banana, dragging me along with her. _Wow, she must do this a lot_ I thought to myself, seeing her amazing skills at dodging people and moving objects. She broke into a frenzy of delight before picking up everything she could find and dumping them into my arms. Two hours drifted by before she left Club Banana with six completely filled bags in my arms. 

"Ron, you've been such a sweetie. Let's get some food and then go for some afternoon shopping. That is, if you don't mind." _Mind?__ How could I refuse?_

"Come on KP, how could I mind? I get to spend time with you…I mean, we haven't been hanging out anymore, with you always hanging out with your other friends." _Ditto that. The last time I saw her was a mission in Australia three months ago._

"Yea…I guess we have been drifting, haven't we?" An uncomfortable moment of silence passed between us. _Since when did we, best friends, have uncomfortable silences?_

"Actually, I'm not really that hungry right now. Want to do some more shopping before eating?" I asked, trying to cover up the pain at my realization_. _

_'Why should she hang out with you? You're a loser.'_

_'She's my friend.'_

_'Loser.'___

_'Shut up.'_

"You okay? This is the first time you've turned down food. Are you sure you aren't sick?"

"Oh come on," I said, mustering up as much 'Ron-ness' as I could. "You know me, I just like to accomplish things quickly before enjoying the finer points of life." Kim rolled her eyes before agreeing. We set off to buy more clothes for Kim, going from store to store before we bumped into the person I least wanted to see: Josh Mankey. It wasn't really much of a secret that Kim liked Josh, and why shouldn't she? He was a pure ladies man, handsome, charming, and extremely popular, the exact opposite of me. It hurts me every time to see Kim turn crimson at just the mere sight of him. It's as if Josh is slowly taking her from me, and I can't do anything to stop it. Both were oblivious to me as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Hey Kim," said Josh in his smooth voice.

"Oh, hi Josh," replied Kim, blushing. A jolt of envy washed through my body. _It isn't fair._

"Kim, it's been really nice seeing you. How long has it been? A few months? Anyway, I've really missed you." More pangs of jealousy crept through me as I saw Kim turn even redder.

"Y-y-you have?" she stammered. "I've r-r-really missed you too, Josh." _Wow, death doesn't get her this nervous._

"Hey, Kim, I've been thinking of you a lot over the last few months and…I was wondering if, if…" _I'm not liking__ where this is going_. "If you'd like to go to dinner with me tonight?" _Don't do it KP. For the love of God, don't ditch me this time._

"Josh, I'D LOVE TO!" replied Kim in euphoria. "I mean, yea, sure." Bitterness crept through me. _KP?__ How--why? _ How could she betray me, her best friend since pre-K, like that for a guy she barely knows?

'_Open your eyes. She's not the same Kim you've come to know and love.'_

_' Love__?'_

_' She's__ shallow_.' Those words struck me because I had been trying to deny that thought for ages. Now, the evidence was staring me right in the face. Could Kim Possible, one of the nicest people, be shallow?

'_No, she can't be. I've known her for life.'_

_ 'People change.'_

_ 'NO!'_

I watched the rest of the scene play out, as Josh gave her a tight hug before leaving. I felt tears brewing within me, and I used all my energy to stave them off. _Think happy thoughts._

"Oh my God! Can you believe it? Josh just asked _me_ to go on a date with him! Oh my God!" I felt anger rush through my body. This was definitely not the first time Kim had ditched me, and I knew for a fact that it wouldn't be the last. _Why KP?_ She strode along with a huge smile still on her face as she looked through more dresses. Completely ignoring me, she just danced in her own little world. _How could you?_

---

Skipping lunch altogether, I just followed Kim around the mall for the rest of the day before returning to her car. She barely noticed me more or less and was just in her dreamy state all day. As she started up the engine, I saw her give me another big smile. This one was tainted, however, because of Josh Mankey.

"Ron, you okay? You haven't talked at all after Josh left," she said, saying the word Josh like it was sacred.

"Oh, you noticed that I was still here?"

"What do you mean?" she asked in a confused voice.__

"What do I mean?!" I yelled harshly, startling her. "Let's see, where should I start. How about this? I risk my life to go with you on another mission, so that you can get even more glory. After that, you don't visit or even call for three months because you're always off with some 'hot guy' doing whatever it is you do now. Out of the blue, you invite me to go to the mall with you, and of course I'd accept, because I'm Ron the loser right? It's not like I'd have any plans or anything right?" Kim opened her mouth to answer, but I cut her off. I knew what she was going to say and didn't bother to let her lie to me. "But guess what, even if I did have plans I would have canceled them because you were my best friend. I traveled halfway around the world for you damn it! You have no clue how nice it was to finally spend time with you, but I guess it only went one way." I felt hot tears build in my eyes. "Damn it KP, why can't you just spend one freaking day with me as friends? How could you just ditch me for Josh? Do you think I'm that expendable?" I was in tears now, but I didn't care.

"Ron, I'm, I'm really sorry. It's just that—" Realizing that her car had stopped at my house, I jumped out before she could finish. _I don't need anymore of your pity Kim. You and I both know damn well why you ditched me._


	2. Chapter 2

A/N—Rewritten version of Chapter 2.

            Please note that this story takes place two years after the show, so Kim and Ron have already been drifting apart for quite some time.  That is the reason for the less forgiving and more depressed nature of Ron.

**Chapter 2**

One month.  It's been one month since I last came into contact with Kim.  No visits, no calls, nothing.  She doesn't even make eye contact with me in any of our classes.  Speaking of school, it's been Hell since day one.  I'm not the Mad Dog Mascot anymore; it brings back too many memories.

"Ronald, would you like to explain the foreshadowing in _Antigone_?"

"Wha-what?" I snapped back to reality and realized I was drifting off in Mrs. Cram's class…again.

            "Or would you like to explain Teiresias's vision instead?"  I sighed.  It was going to be a long day.  Barely making it out of Mrs. Cram's class, I headed to lunch.  I picked up a cheeseburger and some fries and waited in line to pay.  From the corner of my eye I saw Kim and Josh laughing happily together, and I quickly turned away.  Seeing her with him made me feel slightly angry, but above all it made me feel ashamed.  Ashamed that I wasn't even good enough to be her friend, despite all of our history.

            "Hey, move up!" a voice yelled at me.  Realizing that I had been holding up the line, I walked up to the lunch lady, paid for my food, and walked over to sit at an empty table by myself.  Quietly munching to myself, I observed the people at other tables quietly.  _Let's see, geek table, senior table, jock table, nerd table_…  As my eyes wandered, I couldn't help but realize that it seemed everyone had someone.  Everyone except me.  Lunch ended at 12:45 as usual, and I headed to class alone.  The rest of the school day passed by at an extremely sluggish pace; being alone tends to make things a lot more boring.

As the final bell rang, I headed to the weight room.  Surprisingly enough, it really helps me relieve all my stress.  For the past two weeks, I showed up every other day despite all the laughter.  Sure, I'm not really that strong, but I really enjoyed the release of it all.  The laughter didn't get to me at all, especially since I was so used to it.  An hour later, I pumped the bar one last time before finishing my routine regimen.  With extremely sore muscles, I walked out of Middleton High and headed home.  Coincidentally, I felt a hand on my shoulder.  I realized it was Monique.

"What are you doing here?"

"Drama club.  Anyway, I've been looking for you all day." She looked serious.

"Why?" I asked.

            "Kim." That word reverberated in my head. I did my best to keep my composure, but the name just opened fresh wounds.

"Look, Ron, I know the gist of what happened between you two, even though Kim won't tell me the whole story. It goes something along the lines of her picking Josh over you, right?"

            "Mon, it goes far deeper than that. I don't want to talk about," I said, feeling a wave of sadness and shame creep over me. "Why do you care anyway?"

"Because you're both good friends of mine, and Kim's been feeling kind of down because of you. I think you should go talk to her."  Her words rekindled a dying hope inside of me, the hope that maybe Kim still cared.  Feeling giddy, I replied in a calm tone.

"Alright, I'll talk to her, face to face, tomorrow during school."  To be honest, I couldn't wait.  I really needed to talk to her, for the sake of our once strong friendship.  Maybe our history could mend the wounds.  Saying goodbye to Monique, I headed home, showered, and watched a few hours of TV before going to bed.

**The Next Day**

As I groggily sat up at the obnoxious sound of my alarm clock, memories of yesterday's talk with Monique flooded into my mind.  I anxiously showered, got dressed, and ate my breakfast before setting out for school.  Realizing that I had arrived a whole twenty minutes early, I just sat down and waited by Kim's locker.

"Hey, Ron."  I immediately recognized that familiar voice.

"KP!" I yelled excitedly.

"Listen, I'm really sorry for ditching you that day.  I know we haven't exactly been very close these past few months, but I want to—"

"There you are my sweet Kimmy," said a suave voice. Josh Mankey had just arrived on the scene at the worst time possible.

"Hey _Stoppable_," he said in a condescending tone. How could KP like a person like this? He was so…shallow.  _Maybe she'll come to her senses._

"Hey, Josh.  You ready for the party tonight?"

"Hey, I'm always ready to party."

"I'm so lucky to have you…" Kim said dreamily, losing herself in his eyes.  I slipped away quietly, feeling pain at being ditched again.  _How could you do this to me?  Doesn't our relationship mean anything?_  I headed off towards class, unnoticed by either of them.  The only thought on my mind was how my best friend since pre-K ditched me again.

---

I hit the weights hard that afternoon, knowing that it was the only way to release the pain I held inside of me. _How could she?_ I thought to myself. The answer came swift: _Because she is shallow Ronny. You're a loser, while she's popular, and despite what she says her actions say she's shallow_. I knew the words were true. She always got all the credit for our missions and hardly ever mentioned my name. I know she wouldn't have succeeded with some of them without me.

"I guess I was wrong about you KP. I thought I'd know someone after knowing them for so long, but I guess people change…"

I went home that night and pigged out. My parents had been worried lately, but I've been assuring them that things were all right. I sighed to myself. Why couldn't I have been born pretty and smart? It'd be another lonely Friday with myself, while _she_ and _he_ would be doing God-knows-what.

As I walked to my room the phone rang. I picked up; it was Wade.

"Ron, Shego and Drakken are stealing some chemicals at the Middleton Chemistry Lab. I can't get through to Kim so you need to go Ron."

"Wade, I'm done. I'm never doing this shit again," I said bitterly. Then an idea slipped into my mind. "Sorry, those were my emotions speaking. Can you get me a ride?"

"Sure thing, Ron, and thanks." Wade hung up. True to his word, a car pulled up to my house. I got in and headed towards the chemistry lab, feeling that I had a purpose.

"Hahaha. I have found the perfect chemicals!" yelled Drakken, as he loaded the barrels into his vehicle. I hated that laugh, but I also found it humorous at some level.

"Hold it Drakken," I said quietly. He turned around.

"Who's there? Shego, go find out who's there!"

"No need," I said, turning towards them. I stepped out of the shadows and came into full view.

"Um, who are you?" Drakken asked in confusion.

"That's Kim Possible's sidekick.  I'll go and find her; this time, I'm not going to be so merciful."

"She's not here," I said quietly.

"Shego, dispose of this menace please." The condescending way Drakken said those words brought back harsh memories of school and, well, life.

"Wait, I can do something that will assure your victory." Shego stopped in her tracks.

"Well stop stalling and talk!"

"I can give you inside information, keep Kim off your tracks.  As long as you two don't do anything too vile, you won't ever have to worry about her as long as I'm here."

"And what do you want in return?"

"I want to work for you."

Author's Note – I know this might sound cliché to you, but trust me, this isn't going to be Ron/Shego or any of that junk. Drakken's stealing chemicals for a reason, a very BIG reason that will catapult this plot into new territory. Stay tuned for chapter 3! Please review and give me new ideas!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**—Rewritten version of chapter 3.

**Chapter 3**

**Kim's POV**

I woke up cheerily before my alarm clock even rang because I realized it was going to be another wonderful Friday. As I got up and did my morning stretches, my thoughts shifted to Ron.

'_I really hope he'll forgive me.'_

_'Don't worry. From what Monique said, he misses you even more than you miss him.'_

I bent down to touch my toes and counted to ten, and then followed that up with a few arm stretches. As I finally completed my morning routine, I jumped into the bathroom and took a quick shower.

Stepping out fifteen minutes later, I dried myself off and put on my clothes. Standing in front of the mirror, I applied some make-up to cover up some blemishes on my face before heading downstairs. I only took a few bites of food before I set off for school, anxious to meet this new day.

---

My journey to school was uneventful as usual, and I made my way towards my locker. Seeing a lone figure sitting by it, I realized immediately that it was none other than Ron. _Keep calm._

"Hey, Ron," I said anxiously, giving him a smile.

"KP!" he yelled in a loud voice. _Glad to know he missed me too. It's time I made amends for my despicable actions._

"Listen," I started slowly, not wanting to mess up my apology. "I'm really sorry about ditching you that day." _Amen to that. I can't believe it took me so long to realize just why Ron got so mad at me for it._ "I know we haven't exactly been very close these past few months, but I want to—"

"There you are my sweet Kimmy," a melodious voice said behind me. I melted at the sound of his sexy voice.

"Hey, Stoppable," Josh said. I still don't know why Ron doesn't like Josh. He's charming, respectful, and talented. When Ron didn't reply, I couldn't help but feel a little angry. How could he be so rude?

"Hey, Josh. You ready for the party tonight?" Like every other week, I anticipated extreme enjoyment.

"Hey, I'm always ready to party." _And he's so hot when he does._

"I'm so lucky to have you…" I said dreamily and found myself lost in his beautiful, blue eyes.

"Same to you, Miss Possible." _So charming…_

"You're too good to be true…" I whispered to him, my eyes still glued to his. Unfortunately, the bell interrupted my tender moment, and I realized I still had a long way to walk to class.

"Well, I better get to class," I said, not wanting to end our conversation one bit.

"Yea..." he said. I could tell he really liked me by the way he said that.

As I walked to class, I had this weird feeling and I couldn't put my finger on it at first. Then it came to me: Ron. _Oh God, Ron! How could I just forget about him? _ I realized that I had made a huge mistake, that instead of apologizing and mending our relationship I had just pushed him farther away. School passed by uneventfully, and it left me feeling increasingly guilty about Ron.

_'What am I turning in to? I just pushed him away again, as if I don't even want him around anymore.'_

_'Why should you?'_

_'What?'_

_'He's a loser.'_

_'What?!'_

_'You're sexy, beautiful, charming…everything he's not.'_

_'NO!'_

I shivered visibly, before heading to cheerleading practice, where Josh was watching from the bleachers. After I finished I told Josh I'd go home and shower and he could pick me up at seven. I turned off my Kimmunicator, not wanting anything to ruin this perfect night. We arrived on the party right when it started heating up, and Josh and I jumped right into the fray of things.

We danced like wild animals and partied like them too. Eventually, we got pretty tired and retired to the back deck.

"Kim, I've never quite met someone like you. Beautiful, smart, and so sincere and deep." I gazed into his dreamy eyes.

"I feel the same way, Josh. I just wish Ron could see you the same way I do. Well, in a straight way of course," I said quickly.

"Yea, I wonder why he doesn't like me. You know, Kim, you shouldn't hang around people like that, people who just leave you when you don't spend every minute of every day around them." I know it wasn't true, but the way Josh said it just made it seem so true.

"Josh, I wish we could stay here forever, just talking and enjoying each other's company."

"Yea…same here." He leaned over to kiss me, and I almost fainted. I found just enough energy, however, to kiss him back. The feel of his lips on mine made life seem so perfect.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – Back to Ron's point of view. I'm not exactly sure where I should take this story, but it looks like it'll be going into a "dark" fanfic. Anyway, like I said I want this to stick to reality a lot, so Shego's fiery hands will definitely have more power than w/e a normal human can do. Cops will also fire at the villains since Disney isn't here to make crime look so glorious.

Homecoming is coming up in a few weeks, and I still don't have a date. 'That's cuz you're a loser,' a voice in my head told me. These past few weeks have been better for me. Ever since I struck that deal with Shego and Drakken I felt liberated in a way. I'd go there at least twice every week and help them with their exploits. I also made sure they kept a low profile so Kim wouldn't get on their tail. They aren't bad people, really…just different, like me. I'm guessing if things had been different, I would have turned to the dark side a long time ago.

"Out of the way, FREAK," an arrogant voice said as she pushed by me. It was none other than charming ol' Bonnie. She was obnoxious, yes, but she could never hurt me like _she_ could. I didn't even reply because I believed it to be true. I sighed. I really wish I wasn't born like this.

I've been doing quite well physically, and my grades are actually sloping upwards. For some odd reason, I've been more motivated these past few weeks; it's as if I want to be smarter and stronger. I've buffed up a little from lifting, and I don't get laughed at nearly as often anymore. Nothing can stop my own self-doubts though. No matter how hard I try, I can't get _her_ out of my head. Every time I see her talking, flirting, or even interacting with Josh makes my stomach feel queasy. Despite her lack of loyalty and shallowness, I still can't let it go. I've known her for so long, and I subconsciously still like more than a friend, despite hating her as a person consciously. Today was one of my off days, where I just went straight home or to Drakken's lair after school. He and Shego even bought me a car to seal the deal. It was hard to explain it to my parents, but they bought my lie eventually. Well, half lie. I told them I had an after school job that has been paying me quite nicely and that this car was company owned. Not a very good story, I know, but they bought it. Actually, now that I think about it I'm not sure they did. I think they just let it go because they love me and seem really worried. I haven't smiled lately and I've become so apathetic and lifeless lately. As I walked out of the school building alone on this mild autumn day, I decided it was time I paid Drakken a visit.

"Ron Stoppable, how nice to see you," Shego said sarcastically. I'm pretty sure she could kill me, so I've stayed on her good side as much as possible.

"Hi Shego," I said with as much reverence as possible. _Possible_.

"Ah, it's a good thing you showed up Stoppable," came a familiar voice, Drakken. "Tonight we're going to steal a new prototype machine. Quite a lovely thing. It's a molecular separator, capable of turning inorganic (by inorganic I mean not living in the biological sense, not lacking Carbon) liquids into gas without heating in a pressurized container. Of course, the molecular separator is only pocket sized so we can go in stealthily."

"Right," I said. I've gone on missions with these two before, and I've found them to be quite good at what they do. We chose Friday because _she_ would be out with Monkey tonight. Despite all the pleas of Wade, Kim refused to leave her Kimmunicator today. Wade told me that Kim claimed that she needed a life, and that she refused to go out tonight. Thus, it worked perfectly for us.

Things went pretty smoothly until I spotted a few police officers at the lab. Apparently Wade had contacted the cops when he couldn't get a hold of me and we found ourselves surrounded. Luckily, the lights were all off and no one knew we were in. We slipped by the unsuspecting cops, knocking them out along the way and found the pocket sized prototype. Shego, being by far the fastest and most coordinated of us, swiped it as quickly as she could, knowing than an alarm would be set off. We set off running and were almost home free as we broke out of the front door. Unfortunately, three cops hid in the background and stood up as we passed. Shego and Drakken were both oblivious to the action, and I saw all three of them aim for Drakken, as if they were all reluctant to shoot a female. BOOM. Three bullets were headed towards Drakken. Before I knew what I was doing, I dived at Drakken and tackled him, feeling a searing pain in my side.

"SHIT," I heard one of the cops yell. Shego had recovered her sense and tossed a smoke pellet at the cops. Handy things they are. Drakken really was a genius. Still stunned, I felt myself lifted up and dragged into our vehicle as we sped back to Drakken's Lair. I lost consciousness.

I woke up to see both Shego and Drakken staring at me inquisitively.

"Ugh, I said," feeling my woozy head. "How long have I been out?"

"A few hours, Stoppable," came Drakken's voice.

"Why?" Shego asked.

"Why what?" I knew perfectly well what she was asking.

"Why did you risk your life to save Drakken?" I didn't know why I did that at the time, but suddenly a plausible reason came to my mind.

"Answer me something first, both of you," I said quietly, startling both of them. I usually never made direct commanding statements, but I realized I had their attention.

"When did you turn evil?" The question seemed to catch both of them off guard. Before Shego could open her mouth, Drakken answered.

"Shego and I, we…we both turned 'evil' at around…your age." Everything started to slide into place for me right there and then.

"I see," I said. I felt like my mind was getting sharper these past few weeks, as if I was going through a maturation process. "No one's born evil," I said. "Not even you two. You were both turned to evil and I'm pretty sure I know why now." They both stared at me.

"You turned evil because you hated this world. You hated the inequality and injustice of it all. Not the legal kind, but the genetic kind. You hated how some people were born pretty and rich and gifted and you weren't. You were picked on a lot, weren't you?"

If I had asked this two weeks ago, Shego would have killed me and Drakken would have probably laughed as she did. Now, though, in the current situation they seemed willing to answer.

"For once, you're right, Stoppable," Drakken said quietly. "Do you know what it's like to go to school every day and feel afraid? Do you know what it's like to be picked on for your looks, to be laughed at for your clothes? Do you know what it feels like to…to never feel loved or even liked by anyone your age? It breaks people, Stoppable." I didn't expect this emotional outpour, and by Shego's quietness I could tell she agreed.

"I know," I said, "and that's why I saved you. I know what you feel, and…that's why I saved you. We have to stick together, more collusively than who are self-righteous because they were born with blessings we'll probably never have."

"What do you mean, Stoppable?" Shego asked bitterly.

"I know why you hate Kim, Shego. You're jealous. You're jealous of the fact that she's beautiful and that she's having the childhood that you've never had. You're jealous of the fact that she appears so angelic to everyone when deep down you know that, if you two had switched environments, you'd be just as successful. You both hate the world because of people like her, people who make you feel like freaks and losers."

Shego's eyes turned fiery. Maybe I pushed it too far, I thought, but it didn't matter that much to me anymore. Bitterness had ruled my life ever since _that day_ and I guess death couldn't be that bad. Drakken was about to tell Shego to stop but before he could I uttered the words that halted both of them.

"And that makes us family."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N – This may be my last quick update. I've written five chapters in these three days and I really need new ideas people. PLEASE. I'm suffering from writers block and I don't want my story to end up cliché. For the next few days, I'll probably withhold any new chapters I write in hopes that I can get new ideas to change or improve them.

I'm guessing this fiction will go into a very dark and treacherous turn sooner or later. Be prepared. ;)

This chapter starts from Kim's point of view and then shifts to Ron.

****

Chapter 5

Homecoming Dance. I can't wait. 'This is going to be so great,' I told myself. Josh and I have been going steady for two months now, and I've now gained confidence around him. I know I used to melt at the sight of him, but now I know he's not perfect and that's perfectly fine with me.

My thoughts turned back to Ron. I know I've been a jerk to him, and of course it's all my fault. It's just that, those last two times I wanted to spend some time and talk to Ron, Josh showed up. He'd always used to make me forget whatever I was in the middle of and focus all my attention on him. It's not like that anymore, since I'm not obsessed with him anymore. It's more of an equals-relationship now, rather than idolization. Thus, I can talk to him and know what's going on at the same time now. I just wish I had this power before, so I wouldn't have pushed Ron away. He's seemed so distant lately. I'm really worried about him. I've tried to talk to him in school lately but he's been avoiding me quite well. God I miss him.

The other surprising aspect of my life is the fact that there have been no missions. Wade can't even track Drakken and Shego. Without missions, the one time where it's _always _only Ron, Rufus, and me is gone. Maybe I'll see him at homecoming tonight; from what I've heard, Ron appears to have lost some of his clumsiness and is actually gaining some muscle. However, it was still doubtful that he could get a date with his reputation. 'Did I just think that?' I asked myself, disgusted with myself. At that moment, the phone rang.

"Hello?" I said.

"Hey Kim, it's me." It was Josh. "I can't wait for the Homecoming dance tonight. You ready?" I have spent this whole week looking for the perfect dress.

"Of course I am, Josh! I've only waited the past month for this day!" We talked on and on for three more hours before I realized I had to run some errands for my parents. I returned at six and got ready for Josh to pick me up. I had to admit, I did look quite ravishing in that new dress of mine.

We arrived to the dance just on time, which was held indoors at the school gym. Man, it was crowded. We danced for an hour before taking a break.

"I'm going to get us some punch," Josh said. "I'll be back in five minutes or so." As he walked away, I saw something drop out of his pocket. Realizing it was his wallet, I went to pick it up when I saw something that stunned me. There was a picture of Bonnie Rockwaller that had fallen out. 'Don't worry,' I told myself. 'It's probably just an old picture that Josh forgot to throw away. He loves me after all.'

Reassured, I picked up the wallet and headed after him. However, I realized he wasn't headed towards the drink but rather towards the door that led outside. 'Why would he do that?' I asked myself. I decided to follow him but to keep quiet about it. He walked out of the doors and started towards a lone figure. 'What the Hell?' I asked myself. The lone figure was none other than Bonnie Rockwaller.

"Hey, Joshie," she said in that sweet, sexy voice of hers that made me sick. "I can't believe you still came here with Kimmy."

"Look, Bonnie, I had no choice. She can't suspect a thing, so I had to take her here."

"Why do you still keep her around? Is getting her in bed _that_ important to you? You know I'm probably a hundred times better than her." With that, Bonnie shoved her chest against Josh and, to my horror, they kissed.

As they finished Josh said, "I better get back before Kim suspects something." He started walking in my direction and I was too stunned to move.

"Kim, is that you?" he said. I didn't reply. Instead, I started sobbing, hot tears streaming down my face. This whole time he had been playing me, when here I was head over heels for him. I threw his wallet at him and took off running.

"Kim!" he yelled after me. What did he take me for? Did he really think I'd stop just because he yelled my name? I ran blindly away from the school, tears obscuring my view.

As I started to gain control over my sobbing body, I realized where I was subconsciously headed: Ron's house.

I knocked on the door, and Ron answered.

Ron's Point of View

'Stupid homecoming,' I thought bitterly to myself. It's just another time to make myself see how big of a loser I am. Here I am, home alone on a day where everyone is out there having the time of their lives. Then again, at least I don't care about that much about being a loser anymore, knowing I'll be gone from this accursed high school after this year. My grades have actually been relatively good, and I know it's good enough for me to graduate and to have a clean slate in college. 'I'll probably go work for Drakken full-time after I learn some life skills,' I told myself. A knock on the door broke my train of thought, irritating me a little. I answered and saw none other than _her_ beautiful face and _her_ ravishing figure.

"Hi, Kim," I said apathetically, not looking her in the eyes. "Why aren't you at Homecoming?" I asked glibly.

"Ron, I—" She sounded like she was crying. I turned my head upwards and looked at her eyes; her face was soaked with tears. All the walls and barriers I had created against her broke down right then and there. She needed me, and I wasn't going to abandon her, even if she had made my life miserable and lonely.

"KP," I said gently. "Do you want to come inside and talk about it?" She could only nod. I led her to the living room, turned on the lights, and turned off the TV.

"Ron, I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry for everything." And despite everything, from the way she made me feel like nothing to her plain and simple abandonment of our friendship, I could feel nothing but forgiveness for her.

"It's okay, KP. I'm here now," I said, embracing her in a tight hug on the couch, letting her cry onto my chest (I have muscle there now finally). She told me about her night, and I could only listen and nod silently.

"I felt so betrayed," she said, breaking into sobs again. 'And I didn't?' I said to myself. 'What about what you did to me?' I wasn't going to vocalize my thoughts, however, because I still cared too much about her. I still thought of her as my best friend…and more.

"And you know what? Why would he want to go out with me? He can have any girl he wants, so why was I so naïve to believe that he'd choose _me_?" Ironic, isn't it?

"I'm nowhere as pretty as some of the other girls he probably sees, so why did I believe he'd put aside his life for me?"

"I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world, KP," I said honestly. "I'd do anything for you." That was no lie. Even after all she'd done to me, after all the rage and sadness she caused me, I was still willing to do anything for her.

"Ron, I…I'm so lost." She acts as if she's the only one who's even been lost before.

"KP, if it makes you feel any better, I'd take you over any girl any day," I said softly. 'It's now or never,' I told myself. If I didn't tell her now, I might never have a chance to. "Kim, I-I love you."

Silence.

"Ron, I love you too," she said. My heart stopped. In all my wildest dreams I had NEVER expected that to happen. 'She loved me?' I felt like the greatest man alive. I just wanted to shout out to the world, "KIM POSSIBLE LOVES ME!" This has got to be the greatest day of my life. Suddenly, the dark road ahead seemed illuminated by an angelic light, with my angel KP leading the way. We fell asleep together on the couch, still warmly embraced.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N – Ok, I'm not exactly sure when my updates will come slowly and far between. After that last chapter, I knew I couldn't leave you, the readers, hanging. Without further ado, here's the next chapter.

These past two months have been pure bliss. I've spent so much time with KP, and I've come to truly love her. I'd do anything for her now. I can't believe I once thought she was shallow. No, she's sweet, caring, and extremely nice. I have a feeling that today will be a day to remember because we're going to Bueno Nacho for the first time in months. '_Bueno Nacho'_ I said to myself. _That's where it all started_. Ironically, we've never gone there on a date before, so I was doubly excited.

We've been out so often with each other, and she's grown so valuable to me. I know I probably still carry a little bitterness in me, but all of my negative emotions are overridden by love. I love her so much, and I wish I could spend every minute of every day with her. It's almost as if I _know_ that she's the _one_. The best part is we are spending more time than ever with each other and there haven't even been any missions. Everything's been so quiet lately, though part of that is due to Drakken and Shego planning rather doing. Speaking of those two…

Days after Homecoming

I went directly to Drakken's lair after school, realizing I've neglected to go ever since I got together with KP. I knew I had to tell them, and I was hoping to God that they wouldn't kill me. I had so much to lose now.

"Stoppable," Shego acknowledged as I walked in. Ever since I the day I saved Drakken's life, Shego's actually come to treat me as a human.

"Ah, Stoppable, I was afraid you weren't coming back," came the voice from the blue-skinned scientist.

"Listen guys, there's something I really need to tell you." Fixated eyes stared back at me, urging me to go on. "I'm Kim Possible's boyfriend now." Complete and utter silence pervaded the room. It seemed as if time itself had stopped.

"WHAT???" Drakken and Shego yelled in unison. I could see Shego's hands sparking.

"Wait!" I yelled. "This doesn't change anything between us. I'm still loyal to you, and I won't reveal your location to anyone unless you do something incredibly evil. We're family, remember?"

"You're a dummy," Shego said to me quietly. Was that a hint of…_sadness_ in her voice? Drakken wouldn't even look at me.

"Listen, I'll still come by but just not as often. I know you have big plans, and it's not like you need my help to accomplish them. Besides, I'm helping you by making sure you aren't tracked."

"Whatever, Stoppable," Drakken said dejectedly. Quite frankly, we've grown quite close over the weeks after I saved Drakken's life, and I did feel melancholy at the thought of leaving. KP was my best friend, though, and she needed me more than they did now.

I walked out of the lair, feeling a wave of sadness coming over me.

End Flashback

I've wanted to go back so often but something always held me back. I felt guilty at being with Kim. My thoughts were broken when the bell rang and I headed to lunch.

"Hey, KP," I said cheerfully, giving her a slight peck on the cheek. I couldn't stop smiling, knowing that I finally got her, the one person I cared about more than anything in this world.

"Hey, Ron," she said, giving me a slight smile. There was something odd about that smile but I wasn't going to think too deeply into it.

"You ready to take a trip down memory lane KP? We haven't been to Bueno Nacho since, since…well, in months. I can't wait to go back there. EVERYTHING started there! Kim, that's where our relationship was built, where everything we have today started," I said, a feeling of wistfulness traveling through my body.

"I can't wait Ron," she said with enthusiasm. Once again, I sensed something odd in her tone. It didn't matter though because I was too happy to let anything bring me down.

The rest of the school day crept my more slowly than usual. As the final bell rang, I sprinted towards Kim's locker.

"Let's go, KP!" I said. I drove her in my car to Bueno Nacho, and at the sight of the restaurant, my heart skipped a beat. This is where our friendship was built; everything we shared today was built here. It felt so right to me, and I couldn't wait to get inside and talk to Kim and enjoy Nacos for the first time in too long.

Kim's Point of View

It's been two months since I first told Ron I loved him. Now, I'm starting to feel regrets about my action. My doubts got stronger with each passing day, when I think of the events that happened on Homecoming. I had felt so dejected and violated, and I clung to the only person I knew I could trust, Ron. As I snuggled into his embrace, I hadn't felt something so right in a long time. That's when he said he loved me, and I told him I loved him back and I believed it. _I mean, it just felt so right_. A few weeks after that event, after I recovered from some of the mental pain, I started to think more clearly and more logically. I started doubting the truth of my own words, words that sounded so right. I started to realize that it had been my pain talking and not my heart. I knew I had to tell him now, before he took our relationship further.

Every smile he gave me brought a grimace to my face. Every diffident peck on the cheek brought a pang in my stomach. Every time he'd look me in the eyes with his big, trusting brown eyes made me flinch. I find it harder and harder to look into those eyes with every passing minute. Whereas before his eyes seemed distant and filled with pain, I only see love, compassion, and happiness in them now. In all of my sixteen years of knowing Ron, I had never seen him this happy before. That's not even the worst part. Every time those eyes would interlock with mine in such a touching embrace, he'd say, "I love you KP. More than anything in the world." He said it so sincerely, so passionately that I just wanted to cry; it tore my heart to bits, and the "I love you too, Ron," that would come after seemed falser by the day. That's why I have to end it here, before Ron truly gets hurt. Maybe it's too late even now; I can't know for sure, but I know I have to end it _now_. That's why I asked Ron to go with me to Bueno Nacho; it's a pretty informal restaurant that served as the foundation to us, and I thought it'd lighten the blow.

I arrived in the lunchroom and silently sat down.

"Hey, KP," a trusting voice said behind me, followed by a peck on the cheek. I almost let myself break down into tears right then, but I summoned all my strength to hold it back.

"Hey, Ron," I said, trying to give him a smile.

"You ready to take a trip down memory lane KP? We haven't been to Bueno Nacho since, since…well, in months. I can't wait to go back there. EVERYTHING started there! Kim, that's where our relationship was built, where everything we have today started," he said. Right there and then, I wanted to just disappear. 'Oh, no,' I told myself. 'He's thinking I asked him there so we could reminisce about old times.' The feelings I had then were ineffable; I could barely bring myself to speak, much less seem normal.

"I can't wait, Ron," I said, mustering as much enthusiasm as I could into that line. I just wanted to curl up and cry; I felt so rotten. '_How can you go through with this?'_ I asked myself.The rest of the day went by uneventfully, and I dreaded what had to happen.

"Let's go, KP!" said a voice from behind me as I headed towards my locker. After I had deposited all of my things, we set off in Ron's car and headed towards Bueno Nacho; the sight of it made my heart skip a beat. This is the place where our friendship started and, ironically, where it'd probably end. It felt so wrong to me, and I dreaded going inside and ruining everything.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – I forgot all about Rufus -- Just pretend he was in the story the whole time. Things that are written like this '_Like this'_ are characters talking to themselves in their minds. Now w/o further ado, the story.

**Chapter 7**

I walked into Bueno Nacho with Kim, and I immediately led her to the booth we used to always sit in. Ah, memories, sweet, sweet memories.

"KP, remember the first time we came here with our parents when we were little? We were five at the time. I think I've had a crush on you ever since then because the first time we came here I tried to act really mature and smooth, like they did in the movies." I let out a little chuckle. "I helped you into your seat and then spilled nacho cheese all over you." She let out a small smile but kept quiet, which I found odd; I had expected her to bring up some other fond memories. Maybe she was just having a bad day. I decided to bring up some other fond moments we'd had here.

"Remember the time we came here after watching a romance movie with your parents and I asked your dad for permission to marry you? Or the first Naco I ever made? I grossed you out at first didn't I? Oh yea, and the time where--"

"Ron," Kim said quietly, breaking me off. For some reason she looked sad, as if she was about to cry.

"KP, is everything okay? What's wrong? Is it me?"

"You didn't do anything wrong, Ron," she rasped softly. "It's not you, it's me." _'Why do I not like where this is going?_' I asked myself.

**Kim's POV**

"…yea, and the time where—" I had to break him off now. If I let him go on, I wouldn't be able to find the strength to tell him the truth anymore.

"Ron," I whispered, feeling a wave of nausea creeping over my body. I felt so rotten.

"KP, is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?" '_No Ron, you didn't. You've been the most loyal and loving boyfriend any girl could have, always there at my side when I needed you; so why can't I return your feelings?_'

"You didn't do anything wrong, Ron. It's not you, it's me." _'How can you just take away everything from him? Haven't you seen the happiness in his eyes? The trust? Don't you remember how sad he looked before you came back to him? Why do you do this to him?'_

"It's us, isn't it?" Ron asked.

I could only slightly nod, averting my eyes from his. "I-I-I don't love you." '_How could you say that? He loves you more than life itself. He took you back in even after you abandoned him, and he finally trusted you enough again to give his heart to you. Is this how you repay him?'_ Tears started to stream down my face.

"Come on, Kim. I'll take you home," he said emotionlessly as he got up and headed towards his car. I found the energy to follow him, and as I entered his car I stole a glance at him. '_You see what you did to him now? Did you see his face?' _It was stained with quiet tears rolling down his cheeks. '_That's not even the worst part is it? Have you ever seen such hurt and betrayal in anyone's eyes before?_' I couldn't stand it anymore; I broke down sobbing, wet tears soaking my face. Ron still hadn't said anything, and I knew I couldn't keep quiet, not after all I did.

"Ron," I muttered through choking tears. "I-I-I'm so sorry…" _'Is that the best you can do? **I'm sorry?** He comforts you after you've experienced a tragic heartbreak and, despite all of your disloyalties, takes you back in, and all you can say is **I'm sorry**__ He followed you unhesitatingly on dangerous missions and risked his life for you numerous times and all you can say is **I'm sorry?**__He gave you sixteen years of invaluable emotional support and rarely complained about your lack of loyalty and all you can say is **I'm sorry?** He gave you his heart and soul and you shattered it, and all you can say is **I'm sorry?**'_ The car stopped; I realized that we had already arrived back at my house.

"Ron, if there is anything I can do—" Those words sounded so pointless, even to me.

"Kim, I said I'd take you home. Now get out and never come back." Those words sounded so dead, so devoid of emotion. I turned my head to get one last look at him. He seemed like a statue, never moving nor changing facial expressions, a shell of his real self it seemed like. I know I couldn't even comprehend a fraction of the pain he was going through at the moment, so I stepped out of his car and went inside sobbing. '_He gave you his heart and soul and you shattered it, and all you can say is **I'm sorry?**'_

_A/N_ -- Phew, I finally got that chapter out. Ok, those are the basic seven chapters I wanted to write these few days in order to set the stage. I've got a vague idea of where this story is headed, and I'd really appreciate some new ideas.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Ron, honey, are you feeling well enough to go to school?" my mom asked me through the bedroom door. Ever since Friday night, the day _she_ told me the truth, I would just lie on my bed and cry, and my parents would leave food outside of my bedroom door, assuring me that whenever I wanted to tell them what happened, they'd be there to listen. I love my parents, and I know they're extremely worried.

"Yes, mom, I'm going to school today," I replied as I got up to get dressed. For the first time since Friday, I set foot outside; the gloomy weather and the biting cold seemed fitting, foreboding more trouble at the onset of winter. I proceeded to get into my car and drove to school, not caring nor fearing whatever it could throw at me. After all, what could be worse than what _she _did to me? The mere thought of it sent shivers through my body. I headed straight towards my locker upon arriving, and to my surprise and bitter rage I saw _her_ there, standing next to it. _How dare she show herself again after what she did?_

"Ron, _please_ hear me out. I can't live like this, knowing just how much I've hurt you. Ron, you have to understand that you are and always will be my—" Did she take me for a fool? Did she honestly believe that she could make things right just by trying to give some bullshit reason covered with warm and fuzzy statements?

"Friend?" She gave me a surprised look. "That is what you were going to say, wasn't it?" She nodded. Bitch. I turned my head and stared into those eyes, those beautiful eyes that destroyed my world. Pangs of anger, betrayal, and sadness swept through my body, resulting in a conglomeration of hostile emotions. "Listen here, you have you some nerve coming here. You have no fucking clue just how much pain you've caused me. It was _you_ who ran to _me_ looking for comfort, and I gave you that and more. I gave you my undying loyalty and love, and you threw it away. Do you honestly believe any fucking thing you say will change anything that happened? Do you honestly believe it's going to take away my bitterness and pain? You're a fucking bitch, KP, and—"

"Don't call me that, Ronald Stoppable!" she yelled back. "DO YOU THINK I LIKED DOING WHAT I DID? Do you honestly believe I feel any better than you about what I did?"

"Yes, I honestly do believe you feel better about what you did than I do, because at least life still goes on kindly for you," I whispered slowly. "Time will mend your wounds, and you'll find a new…_replacement_ just fine. After all, what you did doesn't make you any less attractive to others does it? I, on the other hand, wasn't born with such blessings. Not only that, but I truly did love you KP, and I've come to realize that the line between love and hate is very, very thin. Listen, and listen carefully Kim. I'm only going to say this once. As of now, we're _enemies_. You can fucking die for all I care. And I swear to you, I will be great someday, and I'll show you that hard work can make up for the lack of God given talent KP. Hope that our paths never cross on the fields of contention because I will hold nothing back against you." I walked away, leaving her stunned. _Screw this_. _I'm going to Drakken's now, to work full-time. I'm old enough to quit school anyway_. I arrived back in the parking lot, entered my car, and started driving away from school.

Kim's POV

This weekend has been Hell for me. _How could you, damn it? Sixteen years of nearly indestructible emotional attachment and you snap it in four seconds flat._ I had been trying to cope with my actions all weekend, tried to justify them at some sick level. _No matter how much you try Kimmy, the pure and bitter facts are out there; you can't change them._

"Kimmy Cub, do you want to stay home today?" My parents had been worried sick about me; I told them what happened and, for seemingly the first time in my life, they didn't completely take my side. After all, Ron was as close to family outside of our bloodline, and what I did wasn't exactly something that could be argued over. It was purely and utterly wrong. In any case, I had to go to school today; I had to talk to Ron.

"No dad, I'll be fine." I brushed my teeth, showered, got dressed, and headed out the door, omitting breakfast. Food could wait; Ron couldn't. I had to get to school early so I could wait by his locker, to show him that I was truly worried for him. _Were you worried when you strung him along and then let him fall?_

I arrived at school an hour early and proceeded to Ron's locker. Eventually, I saw a lone figure walk towards me, and I knew it was Ron. His face contorted into a mask of hatred and sadness, driving me to bits.

"Ron, _please_ hear me out. I can't live like this, knowing just how much I've hurt you. Ron, you have to understand that you are and always will be my—" _Friend? Are you that pompous and arrogant, to believe that he cares that he will always be your **friend?**_ I had to try, so opened my mouth to finish my sentence before he finished it for me.

"Friend?" I looked at him, surprised. The indignant and bitter look on his face signaled that my attempt to mend his wounds had failed miserably. "That is what you were going to say, wasn't it?" I could only nod silently. The betrayal in his big, brown eyes still sparkled clearly, making sure I didn't forget my sins.

"Listen here, you have you some nerve coming here." He was right; it did take a lot of nerve to face him in this state, but it was necessary. "You have no fucking clue just how much pain you've caused me." _How could you do it Kim?_ "It was _you_ who ran to _me_ looking for comfort, and I gave you that and more. I gave you my undying loyalty and love, and you threw it away." _Do you realize how accurate his statement was? That's **exactly** what happened wasn't it? In a way, you used him and then disposed of him, and whether you liked it or not doesn't change anything that happened._ _God_, Ron, I'm so sorry; I never wanted it to come to this. I felt like crying again, but I knew I had to do my best to hold it back because he wasn't crying despite suffering probably a hundred times more. "Do you honestly believe any fucking thing you say will change anything that happened? Do you honestly believe it's going to take away my bitterness and pain?" _Why did you come here? Why did you carry the hope that you could mend something so irreparable? Don't you remember his eyes? No one, least of all **you**, can solve his problems._ Ron…I just wanted to hug him and cry on his shoulder, to take away his pain. God what have I done? "You're a fucking bitch, KP, and—" _You know he's right_. Yea, I did, but I couldn't let _Ron_, my former best friend, say that to me. He's acting like I enjoyed ripping his heart out.

"Don't call me that, Ronald Stoppable!" I yelled back. "DO YOU THINK I LIKED DOING WHAT I DID? Do you honestly believe I feel any better than you about what I did?" Those words seemed empty even to me. _Why does it matter, Kimmy, if you liked it or not? Does it change anything, anything at all? And yes, you do feel better than he does after what you did because you committed the action; he, on the other hand, would have never, **ever** said the same things to you, no matter what the circumstances._

"Yes, I honestly do believe you feel better about what you did than I do, because at least life still goes on kindly for you," he whispered slowly. What did he mean? _You know damn well what he means, Ms. Beautiful and Perfect._ "Time will mend your wounds, and you'll find a new…_replacement_ just fine." Those words stung me. _They only hurt because they're true Kimmy. You know you won't have to face this alone, but the true victim will._ "After all, what you did doesn't make you any less attractive to others does it? I, on the other hand, wasn't born with such blessings." When did Ron get so perceptive and…pessimistic? _Maybe when you broke his heart dummy, when you took whatever shred of innocence he had left and destroyed it_. _Now he's the one who's going to suffer sleepless nights and torturous days **alone**, while you will have boys standing in line to comfort you_. "Not only that, but I truly did love you KP…" I felt tears brimming in my eyes; why couldn't I just love him back? I know he loved and probably still does love me deep down, and that's what kills me the most inside. "…and I've come to realize that the line between love and hate is very, very thin." 'I don't blame you Ron,' I said to myself. I'm not too fond of myself right now either. "Listen, and listen carefully Kim. I'm only going to say this once. As of now, we're _enemies_. You can fucking die for all I care." I'm so sorry, Ron. "And I swear to you, I will be great someday, and I'll show you that hard work can make up for the lack of God given talent KP. Hope that our paths never cross on the fields of contention because I will hold nothing back against you." He walked away, never looking back. When I knew he was gone, I broke down sobbing. _I still can't believe you did what you did Kimmy._

"Kim, you okay?" asked a soothing voice. I didn't know who it was, though I was hoping (impossibly) that it'd be Ron. It didn't matter anymore, and I embraced whoever had asked me that and just sobbed on his chest.

"It's going to be okay; I'm here for you Kim." I looked up to see who it was, and to my ambivalence it was none other than Josh Mankey hugging me.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N – I'm definitely at a crossroads (is that the right word? Or is it fork in the road) right now in my stories. There are two paths that I can take, and I'm not sure which one. As much as I enjoy writing fanfiction, if I take my first path that I had intended to do affairs may get too convoluted and too dark for my own liking, not to mention _extremely_ long. There'd have to be at _least_ one sequel, and I'm not sure if I'm ready go to into that territory yet, seeing as my writing really isn't that good.

The second path I can take also has some cons; it'd make my story _very_ cliché, just like every other story on Kim Possible. It'd end shortly, and I'm not sure it would do you, the readers, justice. After all, I've said all along I've planned to take this into originality and I don't want to renege on my word. Well, in any case this chapter still stands the way it is, and since I didn't mark this story as Romance, I'm _thinking_ about making a Ron/Bonnie pairing. Without further ado, here's the chapter:

__

If you told me now that everything would be all right, I'd tell you that you're a liar and a fool, a dreamer.

****

Chapter 9

I walked into Drakken's lair, expecting anything to happen.

"Well, well, looks like the loser's finally decided to come back. Who's to say we want you here now?" Charming, sweet Shego said that of course.

"Look, me and..._her_ are done for good. In fact I'm quitting school, and, if Drakken lets me, I want to join you two in this business."

"Well, Stoppable, there is _something_ you can do for me, and if you do it you can join us," Drakken said from behind me. "I've been doing extensive research over the past few months you were away, and I've developed a highly reactive mutagen from the chemicals that I—_we_—stole from the lab. Unfortunately, it's killed every lab rat I've planted it in, with the exception of one. The lone survivor became, how should I say this, genetically enhanced to the point where the smartest and most physically adept rats in the world can't even compete with. I've isolated a strand of the rat's genes and I've tried to match it with human DNA, resulting in a prototype chromosome that I've isolated. Apparently, any animal with this gene becomes a genetically superior organism that transcends all others of its species. Just imagine what this would do with a human, Stoppable! An army of super soldiers, capable of obliterating any opposition. Not only that, but I've added some of Shego's genes with this mutagen, resulting in some interesting results. I've now developed rats with seemingly supernatural powers, ranging from producing fire like Shego to telekinesis. I'm still experimenting, but I want you, Ronald Stoppable, to be my test subject. If I did this to a total stranger and he survived with the enhancements, well, you can imagine what he could do to us. You, however, would probably refrain from killing us. If you agree, step into the chamber over there attached to the molecular separator." Without hesitation, I did it. I didn't care that this could potentially kill me because I felt like I had nothing to live for. As I stood in the chamber and waited, I heard the door open again.

"Just testing your loyalty, Stoppable. I'm not going to test this out on you _yet_. It's still in its preliminary stages and I want to do some computerized simulations. However, there is something I want you to do."

"What?" I asked curiously, kind of relieved that Drakken was going to do more research before experimenting on me.

"I want you to go back to school."

"What??" Shego and I yelled simultaneously.

"Stoppable, you need to be in school to avoid suspicion, and with Possible probably still trailing after you trying to mend your relationship, that's the last thing I want. You need to go back and finish this year. Not just finish, but with good grades and in better physical shape than you are in now Stoppable. I need you to be ready when you come here. Now go back, but make sure you check in with me periodically so I can see you haven't reneged on your word and are showing progress." I left the lair silently, befuddled at Drakken's words. Deciding to just let it rest, I headed back to school, right in time for lunch. As I went in, I saw _her_ sitting with…_Josh Mankey?_ 'What the Hell?' I asked myself. _You give her undying loyalty and she leaves you; he plays her like a fool and she still wants to be with him?_ More pangs of betrayal swept through me. _Is it that unbelievable? Think about it; you're a loser, he's the most popular guy in school, not to mention gorgeous, something you're not_._ Do you honestly believe she cares about personality **that** much?_

I took a table alone in the corner of the lunchroom with the food I had picked up from Bueno Nacho and just watched silently. They were laughing, as if nothing had happened, and I had never existed. _Were you really expecting her to mourn for your loss when she could just go and get another guy in a matter of seconds?_ Josh got up and excused himself, going to get more food. I then saw Bonnie walking towards Kim with an irritated look on her face. Of course, I had no clue what the Hell they were saying but it seemed pretty harsh. Both looked extremely pissed after Bonnie left, and I think I may have seen a tear fall down Bonnie's cheek. Something was definitely wrong; Bonnie never shed tears, she was an ice queen.

I saw her leave the cafeteria, and decided to follow her. As she was walking down the hall, seemingly oblivious to all around her, she took out a bottle of what looked like to be pills. I did not like where this was going, especially when she then proceeded to walk into the girl's restroom. '_Don't even think about it Ron_' a voice in my head said. I didn't, so I just walked into the restroom after her. She was sobbing, and by now I could tell those were sleeping pills, lethal in huge doses.

"Bonnie…" I whispered to her. I expected her to turn around, scream, and kick me in the balls sixteen times. Life's full of surprises though.

"Ron? What are you doing in a girl's restroom?" she asked quietly, without the unnerving confidence she seemed to always have. _Did she just ask why I was here like it was normal? And did she just call me by my real name instead of 'loser' or 'freak'?_

"I saw you…cry, and I decided to follow you, to make sure you didn't do anything that you'd…regret. Well, if you were going to do what I thought you were going to do, then I guess you couldn't really regret anything, but still, I mean, doing that will cause regrets and—"

"Ron, you're giving me a headache."

"Sorry, I just can't control myself at times. I guess I'm just onstoppable." _That was lame Ron_. Yea, it did sound pretty lame, but for the first time in my life I saw Bonnie break a smile at me.

"You don't understand," she said sadly. "I can't go on like this. Everyone thinks I'm shallow, even deep down, and no one even _tries_ to get to know the real me. My grades are starting to fall, and my mom is giving me Hell for it. And just now, Kim told me she got me off the cheerleading team. I can't believe she could and would do that to me. I guess that's just because everyone, including coach, likes her so much. And worst of all, I have to face this all alone; I don't have any _true_ friends who will stick by me. I'll be honest with you, Stoppable; I've always been most jealous of Kim because no matter what happened, at least she had you." Wow, I really wasn't expecting this emotional outpour. _She must be really down. You have to help her Ron; put the past insults behind you_.

"Well, I'm not really talking with Kim anymore." Stunned look. "In fact, I don't even want anything to do with her right now. But listen Bonnie, don't do this to yourself. You have a lot to live for; you're talented and…beautiful. You can be the best in the world. Don't do this to yourself; half the girls in this school would do anything to switch places with you."

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so, and I also know that you have no deep reason to kill yourself. I want you to know that—"

"Ronald, uh, what are you doing in the girls restroom?" a voice interrupted. It was Monique. 'Oh God, you've really done it now Ron.' "And with _Bonnie _nonetheless?" She spat out the word Bonnie like it was virulent. "I, um, uh, came in here on accident. Sorry about that ladies," I said, abashed and started to leave before Bonnie grabbed my hand. She made it seem accidental, but I felt a piece of paper there. As I walked out, I opened it up.

_Ron, can I talk to you after school? I really think it's helping my depression. Here's my home and cell number._

--Bonnie

True to her word, her cell and home number were on the bottom of the paper. I didn't know why I was going to do it, except that I felt like that I too could benefit from this.

I called Bonnie at six that night, and we talked for three hours. The time just flew by, and I started feeling better about my situation, even though it still felt pretty dreary. I realized I had to go and told her.

"Ron, can you pick me up tomorrow and take me to school? I want to talk to you in person."

"Sure thing, Bonnie, see you then," I said, hanging up the phone. I went to bed that night and, like I've been doing the past few days, relived Kim's confession in my nightmares.

****

The next day

I woke up extra early, not that I got much relaxation in my sleep nowadays anyway. When I arrived at Bonnie's house, I realized I was a full ten minutes early. To my surprise, she was already fully dressed and waiting outside. I helped her get into my car, and we sped off towards school, on track to being quite early for once.

"Ron, did you tell Kim about…_us?_"

"I-I'm really not talking to her anymore," I said with extreme sadness.

"Oh, you still haven't made up with her?"

"It's really not something I'm ready to talk about yet," She quickly changed the subject; I never realized how perceptive she was. I guess that's what made her so good at manipulation, the fact that she could read people and really push their buttons.

"You're a really great guy, you know that?" Did Bonnie just call me a great guy?

"Th-th-thanks. You're a good person too."

"And I just want to tell you that I'm sorry about…everything. All of the insults, the humiliation I've caused you. If I could take them back I would in an instant. I'm really sorry. It's just that, I never knew you nor ever took the time to know you because…" _It's because you're a loser_. "…because I was a shallow idiot. Thank you for opening my eyes, and showing me the things that really matter." I sat there, stunned. Was this really Bonnie? "I know sorry isn't going to take back anything, but…I have to at least try, after all you've done for me."

"I really think you're giving me too much credit. All I did was give you comfort and someone to talk to; you have plenty of people willing to do that." She was so popular, that it had to be true right?

"No, that's where you're wrong. Like I said yesterday, I really don't have any _real_ friends, just people who hang around with me for popularity. Now I see why Kim's so good at everything; she had you behind her, and, with your support, she truly did believe she could do anything." **_She_** never even thanked you for it before did she? Bonnie's definitely perceptive.

"Wow, I really want to accept all your praise but…I don't think I deserve it. I haven't really done anything that amazing for you…" _Not anything you haven't done for **her** on a daily basis since preschool eh?_

"Don't you understand? You saved my life! I was going to kill myself that day in the girl's restroom. Your presence alone prevented me from committing suicide right there and then, and I had planned to go home and do it, but you called me, and you talked to me and listened to me. That's more than anyone's done for me my entire life. You saved my life, Ronald Stoppable, twice, but even more than that you gave it new meaning." _Did you really do all that? Was it really that valuable? Those were things that **she** would take for granted weren't they?_ I had been wrong about Bonnie; she wasn't shallow, just insecure and confused about life. I knew I was going to stand by her right there and then.

"I-I-I don't know what to say. I've never seen you…so open before."

"Well, I don't think I've ever opened up this much to…anyone before. All the relationships and friendships I've been in were superficial, and never went any deeper."

"I'm really sorry. I know how it feels to be alone in this world, to feel helpless. When you're called a loser everyday, it gets to you."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry…I never truly realized just how much of a bitch I've been to you until now. It goes deep, doesn't it?" I could only nod. "You know, I could learn a lot from you. Do you mind if we could, you know, hang out after school and stuff more often? I mean, you're apparently having troubles with Kim right now, and I could be around until you mend them. Please, I really want to know you. I know we probably can't ever be friends, not after all that I've done, but at least let me get to know you?" _Yea, she has caused you a lot of grief Ronny. Everyone deserves a second chance though._

"S-s-sure, of—of course. Everyone wants to learn from the Ron-master." She giggled at the goofy grin I gave her right as we arrived at school.

"By the way, you definitely _have_ buffed up," she said, winking. I blushed and did my best to hide it, but I'm sure she saw it. "Walk me to class?"

"Sure thing, Bonbon," I said as we started towards her first period class, which was ironically the same class as mine.

"So…can I talk to you after school?"

"Sure thing."

"In person?" Was she just asking me to do something with her in person outside of school? Man, I never knew Bonnie could be so…friendly.

"Yea, of, of course. We'll go to Bueno Nacho." The words stung me; that's where _she_ betrayed you. It was too late to take it back now though.

"Thanks, I'll meet you by your car after school." _You can learn from her too, Ron. She's a lot smarter than she lets on_. Maybe she can help me work out some of my own issues. _Keep faith, Ron. It's all you have left_.

****

After School

I went straight to my car at the final bell and waited. Five minutes later I saw Bonnie walk out with a bunch of her buddies. When she saw me, she kind of hesitated before sending her friends on. Of course, I mean the word "friends" here quite loosely. There are so many levels of friendship, that anywhere from acquaintance to love is considered friendship to me. As her friends climbed out of view, she walked over. _I guess she's still really insecure about hanging with you Ronny._ Oh well, I shouldn't have expected too much anyway.

"Hey, Ron," she said cheerily to me.

"Hey, Bon," I replied, opening the door for her and then getting into my car myself. "Today, I'm going to show you the Ron Stoppable special Naco," I said to her, flashing her a shy smile.

"Thanks for doing this," she said quietly. "I'm really sorry about avoiding you when my friends were around." Wow, she was _very_ perceptive. I can't believe she recognized that so quickly; **she** probably would have never recognized it.

"It's okay. I mean, it's not like we're best friends all of a sudden." We went on talking about random topics after that before arriving at Bueno Nacho. God, it hurt just looking at this place; this is where my heart shattered, where sixteen years of friendship ended. I wasn't going to show this though, not with Bonnie around. I was here to comfort and listen to her, not the other way around. We went inside and ordered our food, and took a booth. I, of course, being my charming self showed her the Naco, which she just chuckled at.

"Bonnie, why do you care about what other people think about you?" _You had to ask that question didn't you Ronny_? Instead of seeming indignant, Bonnie just lifted her head and looked into my eyes.

"I don't…know really. I guess it's the way I was raised. My mom's incredibly rich, and I guess she just sort of gave off the vibe that image was everything. I've stuck with it for so long and it just…seemed so _right_." _Yes, lots of things that seem right are wrong aren't they?_

"You know what I think? I'd bet you'd be happier if you didn't try so hard. I mean, when you put on all that makeup and act so superior, it just makes you seem…well, fake. I think it scares people at times. You shouldn't really care what strangers and fair-weathered friends think about you; you should care about what your true and loyal friends think of you because it's they who will stand by your side in the darkest hours. I'm sure you'd have a lot of good friends if you'd only act more down-to-earth and stopped trying so hard."

"Really? Do you really think people would like me more?"

"Of course, I mean, I don't know why you even _need_ to try so hard. You're _beautiful_, probably the prettiest girl in this whole entire school. Hell, maybe even all of Middleton." I saw her smile at that. "Not only that, but you're smart and perceptive. I would have _never_ known that if you hadn't acted more down-to-earth. It's not too late to change; it's never too late to change for the better."

"So you think people would like…me...for who I am?"

"Listen, even after all your insults I _still_ feel drawn to you because now I know who you truly are. And you know what? You're _great_." She gave the biggest smile I've ever seen her give.

"I-I-I don't know what to say. You've made me feel so much better. I can't believe I even contemplated suicide now. God, thank you so much Ron. You've given me a new meaning to life."

"I'm just glad you recognized it Bonnie, before it was too late." Well, one case solved. Now all I need to do is find a way to alleviate my own pain, though I have to admit talking to Bonnie has taken my mind off of **_her_** pretty well. But since she didn't need me anymore, I guess it wouldn't really matter.

"Ummm…can you take me to school tomorrow again? I…really enjoy talking to you. I understand if you don't want to, since I'm not in danger of anything now but—"

"I'll be there at seven; I enjoyed talking to you too." Wow, she has changed.

"Really? Thank you so much. By the way, when you and Kim get back together…can we still hang out and stuff?" **_That_** name sent shivers through me.

"To be honest, I don't think Kim and I will get back together." She gave me a stunned look.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize—I'm just so sorry. How, how could anything destroy you two? You've been together for years, inseparable." Yes, we were inseparable, but relationships can't work if they only go one way.

"Sometimes, some wounds go too deep to ever truly heal." She didn't pry any further, which I was thankful for.

"It's her loss, Ron. Anyone who loses someone as loyal as you…"

"Thanks Bonnie. I really needed to hear appreciation from someone."

"Oh man, I have to go, but I'll take everything you said to heart. You're a really nice guy, and I feel like crap when I think of the things I said and did to you. I'm just glad you forgave me enough to talk to me. Thanks," she said, standing up, and to my surprise, giving me a hug. It felt so nice in her embrace, which lasted for around ten seconds before she stopped, looking embarrassed. We returned to my car, and she turned on the radio, probably looking for some respite from talking.

****

Bonnie's POV

I got into Ron's car and turned on the radio, deciding that I needed some time to gather my thoughts. He was such a good person; I can't believe Kim would do anything to endanger their relationship. Didn't she realize just how much she was losing? '_Guess not,_' I told myself. I can't believe I've been so much of a bitch to him these past few years. If he hadn't been so nice, I would have never met him, nor even have the chance to have lived another day. There's something about him that sets him apart from everyone else, and I really want to find out what it is. I hope we can be friends and put the past behind us because I want to get to know the real Ronald Stoppable, and to repay his kindness if I can. A song began to play in the car on the soft rock station I was listening to; it seemed so fitting and maybe a sign of things to come.

__

Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh.  
It must have been cold there in my shadow,  
to never have sunlight on your face.  
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.  
You always walked a step behind.

Now that I think about it, Ron never walked in front of or side by side with Kim. He was always seemingly behind her, as if making sure she'd be all right. Not only that, but I don't think anyone ever remembered Ron the way they'd remember Kim. She had always been the hero, the one who got all the glory. I knew she couldn't do it without Ron though; just talking to him has made me feel better. Just imagine how nice he made Kim, his best friend, feel.

__

So I was the one with all the glory,  
while you were the one with all the strain.  
A beautiful face without a name for so long.  
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

'That's another thing about Ron,' I said to myself. He always seemed to have a smile for the darkest of situations; he even had a smile for a bitch like me, despite all I've done.

__

Did you ever know that you're my hero,  
and everything I would like to be?  
I can fly higher than an eagle,  
for you are the Wind Beneath My Wings.

Yes, Ron, you are my hero. In the past two days of talking with you, I've felt like I could do anything now. It's as if all the burdens laid on me over the years have just flown away, as if all my bottled up anger and resentment melted.

__

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,  
but I've got it all here in my heart.  
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.  
I would be nothing without you.

God, Ron, I don't know how I can tell you just how much you've helped me. I told you that you saved my life, but it went far deeper than that. You gave me meaning to my new one, and without you I would have been nothing.

__

Did you ever know that you're my hero?  
You're everything I wish I could be.  
I could fly higher than an eagle,  
for you are the Wind Beneath My Wings.  
  
Did I ever tell you you're my hero?  
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.  
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,  
for you are the Wind Beneath My Wings,  
'cause you are the Wind Beneath My Wings.

Ron, I just wish I could be like you: kind, caring, and loyal. You're the best friend any person could have, and I want people thinking that I can be a great friend too.

__

Oh, the Wind Beneath My Wings.  
You, you, you, you are the Wind Beneath My Wings.  
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.  
Oh, you, you, you, the Wind Beneath My Wings.  
Oh, you, you, you, the Wind Beneath My Wings.  
  
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,  
so high I almost touch the sky.  
Thank you, thank you,  
thank God for you, the Wind Beneath My Wings...

Thank God for you, Ronald Stoppable. I felt a little teardrop fall from my eyes.

Additional A/N—This is a revised version of my Chapter 9. I decided to read my own fic and I discovered that Ron said Bon and Bon said Ron a lot, which might have annoyed a lot of you.


	10. Chapter 10

I got up after another bad night, though somewhat better than usual. At least I had Bonnie to take my mind off of _her_. Once again, I realized I had woken up too early but decided to head over to Bonnie's anyway to wait. To my surprise, she was already out waiting again and for some reason, she looked _different_ today. She wore some tight jeans and a sweater, which was quite different from her usual outfits, though still very nice.

"Hey, Ron," she said getting in. Even her face looked different. I decided to ask her about it.

"Hey, Bon, you look kinda different today." _Still sexy though_.

"You think so? Do you like my new look?" How could anyone _not_ like the way Bonnie looked.

"Of course, you're beautiful as always, no matter what style you choose." She smiled that full smile of hers, which just seemed to make her glow.

"I did some thinking last night, and I-I figured you were right. I shouldn't try so hard, so as a start, I decided to stop putting on so much makeup. You made me feel like a real person, and I realize now I don't _need_ people to think I'm a goddess."

"Well, not putting on makeup doesn't exactly make you any less of a goddess," I said encouragingly. "If anything, it makes you even more appealing since you look so natural now." She once again smiled brightly.

"Thanks, Ron. You…you really are one in a million." Bonnie's compliment felt really good to me, especially since in all these years I didn't get them very often from Kim, despite giving so many; thus, I never realized just how nice it felt to receive them. "I'm really glad I got to know you, before it was too late."

"I'm just glad you're getting to know your true self Bonnie, before it was too late," I said. A moment of comfortable silence passed between us, and I could tell she was in deep thought.

"Ron, you've done a lot for me and, well, I've been wondering, do you want to hang out after school to, I dunno, just talk?"

"Um, sure. Where?"  
"My place, Ron." _Did Bonnie just invite you over to her house?_ For some reason, I had butterflies in my stomach. I guess I was just really nervous.

"I'd really like that," I said as we arrived at school. As I was getting out, I heard Bonnie say something in that melodious voice of hers.

"Um, Ron. I don't know what happened between you and Kim but I know it's _deep_. If you ever need someone to talk to, just know that I'm here for you, the same way you were there for me."

"T-t-thanks," I said, as we went inside. To my surprise, instead of going to join her friends Bonnie followed me to my locker.

"Bon, aren't you going to hang out with the other cheerleaders?" I asked, confused as to what was going on.

"Not today Ron. Whether you believe it or not, you've changed me." That was obvious. "You've made me realize I don't need to care about what other people think about me; it's what my friends think that matter. And, even though I'm probably not really your friend, you're my first real friend ever." I really needed to hear something like that; it was an oasis in the middle of the desert. I enjoyed her company for fifteen more minutes before we headed to our first period class. The morning crawled by uneventfully, and I headed towards lunch, surprised when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"May I join you for lunch Onstoppable?" asked a very beautiful Bonnie. I cracked a smile at that comment.

"Sure thing, Bon," I said. For the first time since Kim left me, I didn't eat lunch alone. As we were talking, a few of the cheerleaders walked over.

"Like, what're you doing with the loser, Bonnie?" asked one of them. I sighed. No matter what I do, I can't escape the harsh realities of high school life. I then saw Bonnie look me in the eyes, before turning around to face the cheerleaders.

"He's not a loser," Bonnie said. "He's Ron Stoppable, a kind, loving, and extremely loyal human being. If you gals weren't being stuck-up bitches, maybe you'd realize just how rare and valuable someone like Ron is." Did I just hear what I thought I heard? The stunned expressions on the cheerleaders' faces were proof that I did. _She just risked her own popularity to defend you, Ronny._

"Like, chill Bonnie. We just thought that you, like, thought he was the biggest loser in the world."

"Well, I was wrong, okay?!" said an exasperated Bonnie. I could tell she really hated having that aspect of her past drudged up. The cheerleaders, as stunned as I was, just walked away chatting amongst themselves.

"Bonnie, I—thanks." God, you have to stop being so surprised by Bonnie's actions. Just because **_she_** ditched you from time to time for her other friends doesn't mean Bonnie will.

"No problem, Ron. Now what were we talking about again? Oh, that's right, naked mole rats…" Lunch flew by quickly, and we realized we had to head to our next class. Ironically, Bonnie and I had almost all of our classes together, and Calculus was one of them. The only difference was she had an A, and I had a D-. We strolled down the hallway, talking about anything and everything. I could feel some my pain easing away, but I still felt the harsh wounds from _her_ betrayal.

As the final bell rang, I headed straight towards my car to wait for Bonnie. Surprisingly, wait, why am I still surprised by anything? Anyway, Bonnie had arrived there first, just loyally waiting with a huge smile on her face.

"You were right Ron!" she said excitedly. "_Normal_ people actually talked to me today and actually tried to get to know _me_, the real me."

"Normal people?" I asked, inquisitive.

"You know…those people who don't try to be super glamorous. Just those everyday people you find in school."

"See, Bonnie, I told you people would like you for who you are."

"Yea…and it's all thanks to you! I just realized I've probably said thanks to you at least a million times," she said. I smiled at that comment. One never gets tired of hearing sincere gratitude.

"How would you like to stop by Bueno Nacho first, Bon? I'm starving."

"Same here. It sounds great."

After I went to Bueno Nacho yesterday, I discovered that I could still enjoy the food as long as I had Bonnie to take my mind off of _her_. To be honest, I don't think I could live without their food. We walked in to Bueno Nacho, and Bonnie took a booth while I went to get food. When I found the booth she took, I realized it was **_our_** booth, the one **_we_** shared since children. A wave of nauseating emotions swept through me, and I visibly shuddered.

"Is everything okay?" Bonnie asked, with a worried expression on her face.

"Yea, everything's okay, Bonnie," I said, trying to do my best to sound normal. Bonnie once again showed her good character by not prying. We started on the food and, to my surprise (_Why are you **still** surprised?_) she made a Naco.

"You're right, this stuff _is_ good," she said, finishing it off quickly. "You're very—" she broke off. I saw her eyes shift upwards, looking behind me. I turned around, and saw none other than _her_.

Time froze. Sixteen years of friendship flashed when I looked into those eyes. _Why did things have to change? Why couldn't they have stayed the way they were? More importantly, why couldn't **you?** Why did you have to become shallow and get drowned by high school life?_

"Hi, Kim," Bonnie said, lacking the usually condescending resentment. _Remember, she's turning over a new leaf and being nice to **her** is part of the transformation_._ Besides, she still thinks that **she**_ _is your best friend._

"Bonnie," **_she_** said icily. "What a surprise to see you here, and with Ron nonetheless. What's your vile plan this time?'"

"Jeez, Kim, you'd think you could cut me some slack here? I made some mistakes in the past and said things that I really regret. Besides, didn't you already get what you wanted by kicking me off the cheerleading team?"

"That wasn't just me," she said coldly. "_Everyone_ wanted you off for being so shallow, immature, narcissistic—" I couldn't just sit here and let Bonnie be insulted like this.

"Kim, that's quite enough," I said quietly.

Kim's POV

I can't believe Bonnie. What does she take me for? And Ron…how could he just betray me like this? Consorting with the enemy?

"Kim, that's quite enough," I heard him say to me, cutting off my verbal assault on Bonnie.

"W-w-what?" This couldn't be Ron; he'd never betray me like this, no matter what I did.

"Kim, I said that's enough. If you don't have anything better to do except to insult Bonnie, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave us alone." I looked at him and noticed he refused to make eye contact. He was staring blankly at the ground. I turned to Bonnie.

"Look here, bitch, I don't know what you want with Ron, but I am not just going to sit here and let you manipulate him." This is a new low even for Bonnie, taking advantage of Ron just because…of what I did to him. The thought hit me hard.

"Listen Kim, I know we haven't always been the best of friends…" I glared at her. "Okay, maybe we've never even liked each other, but I'm willing to turn over a new leaf with you." Did she take me for a fool?

"Whatever, Bonnie. Just listen and listen clearly: STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM RON." Everyone in the restaurant turned to stare at me. "He's been through enough…" I said sadly. _God Ron, I'm so sorry. I wish things could have been different._

"And who's fault is that?" said a bitter voice. _Ron, how could you? Don't you see she's manipulating you, using you as a weapon against me?_ I was too stunned to move, and I found a pair of arms around me: Josh Mankey's. Oh God, this was awful timing.

"Come on Kimmy, I got the food." He looked down and saw a despondent Ron and a confused Bonnie. "Oh, um, hi Bonnie…_Ron_?" Yes, he was just as confused about it as I was, but I could tell he really didn't care that much.

"Yea, Kim, maybe you should go," I heard Ron say quietly. He seemed so sad, and it really hurt me. I walked away silently with Josh, hearing him tell me about something that I wasn't paying attention to. _Whatever Bonnie does to him, it's your fault Kim. You drove him to this, strung him along and let him fall._

"KP, you okay?" For a split second I thought it was Ron, but I realized it was just Josh calling me by my initials. _Do you honestly still expect Ron to come back to you?_

"Yea, just…fine, Josh," I said, lying like crazy. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I excused myself to go to the restroom; the truth was, however, I had to see how Ron and Bonnie were doing. When I walked over to their booth, I found it empty; they had already left. I returned to my table, knowing I couldn't sit idly by; I couldn't just let Bonnie take advantage of such a vulnerable Ron. _Funny, don't you remember why he's so vulnerable?_

"Josh, I have to go. I'm not really feeling too well. I'll catch you at school tomorrow," I said, running out of the door to my car. I had to call Ron and make sure he was okay. What I did to him was unforgivable, true, but that didn't mean I could just let him go down this path.

Ron's POV

Kim walked away, leaving me with the bitter memories of that day. I could tell Bonnie was pretty confused as to what was going on, and I decided that she deserved to know.

"Come on Bonnie, let's go," I said to her quietly. She silently obeyed, following me to my car. It was a silent car ride back to Bonnie's mansion.

"Ron, you coming?" Oh yea, I told her I was going to her house after school.

"Yea, just let me park my car," I said, knowing that my voice must have sounded lifeless.

We went inside Bonnie's luxurious house, and she led me to the living room with a huge, flat-screen television.

"I'll get some snacks just in case, Ron," she said sweetly. True to her word, she returned with a few bags of chips and cookies. "Listen Ron, I'm sorry about what happened today; I just wish I could help you…"

"Bonnie, I think it's about time I told you what really happened," I started quietly. "You know, I've known Kim for sixteen years, but I guess I never _really_ knew her…" As I went on with the story, trudging up hurtful memories of betrayal and solitude, I could feel tears trickle down my face. "And you know what? She never thanked me, not once for saving her life. I went down and trekked through the fucking Amazon, risking my life to save hers, while she's here risking her life to go out with Josh Mankey. Maybe if I had seen the signs earlier, it wouldn't have come to this…" Bonnie just sat there listening intently, sometimes stopping to chew silently on a cookie. She seemed really pissed off.

"Ron, I never knew…how could you up with that shit?" she yelled. "You've got to be one of the nicest and most loyal people alive, and she treats you like shit! Oh sorry, I'll let you finish your story…"

"So anyway, the trouble started to die down, so we didn't go on missions much. Basically, when summer came, I'd just sit around on the couch all day watching tv. Kim called a few times, but she was always busy with someone else. That was the point where I started to see that she was taking me for granted. I got the vibe that she didn't want me around anymore. Just as I was about to lose hope, she calls me up and invites me to go back to school shopping with her at the mall…" I went on to tell Bonnie about the event that set in motion the destruction of our friendship.

Bonnie's POV

I was seething inside, just hearing Ron tell me about what Kim did to him. How the Hell could she be so ungrateful? You'd think after knowing him for over sixteen years she'd realize just how rare he was; I guess not, since she just ditched him for Josh Mankey. God, she's shallower than I was; how did no one else notice? _It's because you made him out to be a loser, Bonnie, and everyone else just tagged along with that statement. No one knew about Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable being more than friends, and no one knows about Kim just ditching Ron like excess luggage. He never had anyone to talk to._ Well, that's about to change. Ron has me now, and I'm going to do my best to make him happy again.

"So, for the next few weeks I didn't talk to Kim at all; she acted as if I had never existed. Then, Monique comes up to me one day and tells me that Kim actually missed me and wanted to talk to me; I know it doesn't sound like much, but I really, really liked Kim. Just the thought that she missed me made me extremely happy, and her wanting to talk to me again just made all my anger melt away. I've known her for so long, Bon, and when you're that attached to someone and don't talk to them for a few weeks, any news from them is golden..."

"Ron, your relationship with her must have been...magical. I think your loyalty is the only thing that held it together for so long."

"Thanks," he said, proceeding to continue on with his story. How could you Kim? Even after all that, he still comes running to your side, and you ditch him again for Josh Mankey. He's cute and all...but did you realize what you risked losing? There's plenty of cute guys out there, Kim, but there's only one Ronald Stoppable. Even though I've only known him for a few days, I felt a sudden rage at the injustice of it all. Why did he, the kinder and more loyal half, have to suffer the most? Why did he try to hold together a dying and one-sided relationship? It's his loyalty, Bonnie, and his will to try to make things right and better for his friends.

"...and then Homecoming came. As it had been for the past two years, I didn't have a date. I went with Kim freshman year, but after that she, well, changed, and that's what hurt me most about homecoming. Not just being alone, but being without her. I really did love her Bonnie…"

Kim, you had it all, and you threw it away. Don't you see? If all your beauty, popularity, and happiness left you, Ron would still have been there by your side. Can you say that about anyone else? Can any of us?

"...so imagine my surprise when she showed up at my doorstep. I was really irritated at first because of all the things she had done, but when I saw her sobbing face I knew I had to take her in. That's when I told her I loved her..." The signs are obvious Ron. You trekked through the treacherous Amazon Jungle just go save her life. You've been through Hell for her, followed her more loyally than humanly possible. "And you know what? That was the day I thought I had become liberated. She said she loved me back, and she just slept there in my arms..." I stayed silent.

"...the happiness and bliss for the next two months were ineffable. I've never felt so happy in my life; then one day, she asked that we go out to Bueno Nacho. That started off as one of the best days of my life..." I heard him tell me about how many times they've been there together, carefree and chatting the days away. I felt even more envy and hatred towards Kim.

"...I-I-I don't love you Ron..." Oh my God. I felt such an intense hatred at that moment, that I had to hold my breath to keep from yelling. She just led him on for two straight months and then ditched him? How much lower can you get than that? Ron was close to tears now, I could tell. To be honest, I wanted to just reach out and cry with him.

"Bonnie, are—are you okay?" Even after all this, he's asking me if I'm okay. "Ron, I never knew...I'm so sorry," I said, finally allowing the tears to fall. "She, she had no right to do what she did. I'm just so sorry," I said, trying to prevent more tears from falling.

"I—thanks, Bonnie, for caring. I didn't think I could face all this alone this time." He was sobbing now. How could he not? He had just brought up the most painful memories of his life.

"I'm here for you, Ron, and I won't leave you. I'm not going to let you go through this alone." A few minutes of silence passed between us. There was nothing awkward about it, just a natural, comfortable silence where we both mulled over our thoughts. The ringing of the phone broke me out of my reverie.

"Hello?" I asked, trying to sound normal. I heard a yell from the other end.

"BONNIE, LET ME TALK TO RON, NOW!" It was none other than Kim Possible, the bitch who had betrayed her one of a kind best friend.

"Listen, I'm not going to let you hurt Ron anymore than you already have Kim." Who was she to have the right to demand to talk to Ron after what she did?

"You don't know anything, bitch," came the icy tone from the other end.

"You're right," I said. "I only know that you ditched Ron for Mankey because of his looks, and he still let you back into his life, which was probably the biggest mistake of his life. He treated you like a queen and you pushed him away, breaking his heart in the process because you were too shallow to realize just how priceless he really is." There was a stunned silence on the other end, before I heard some whimpering, followed by a click.


	11. Chapter 11

****

A/N- Anonymous reviewers can now review my story; I had no clue that the box not allowing them was checked automatically. Anyway, please read and review!

Ron's POV

"Bonnie, was that…" I trailed off.

"Yea, it was Kim. She obviously still hates me and doesn't trust me; she got me kicked off of cheerleading, so what more does she want to take from me?" She had a good point there. Bonnie didn't deserve any more trouble in her life.

"Bonnie, it's been great talking to you. In fact, this is the best I've felt since…Kim dumped me. I think I should go home now, to think things over. It's been quite an evening."

"Yea, Ron, just know that I'm still here if you need anything. I know I can't really say anything that will stop the pain."

"Just being here is helping. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning again?"

"I can't wait. I hope you feel better, especially after what _Kim_ did to you." She had a sense of anger in her tone when she said Kim. The last thing I wanted was an all out war between the two, but I needed to get home and think things over.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Bonnie," I said, walking out of her house to my car. That night left me with a lot to think about, everything from Drakken's mutagen to Bonnie's sudden connection with me to Kim. As I got back to my house and finished showering, I knew it'd be another tough night.

I woke up the next morning, and like I've been doing for the whole week, I went to pick up Bonnie and headed to school. We talked over some random subjects, nothing deep. We arrived at school and headed towards my locker, and to my surprise I saw Kim there, standing there with a pissed look on her face. I was surprised she'd arrived so early; school wasn't due to start for another twenty minutes.

"Ron, we need to talk, alone." It was her "you-better-listen-or-else" stern voice.

****

Kim's POV

I don't know what's going on between Ron and Bonnie, but I know it's not good. I had a tough night just thinking about it, and I knew I had to talk to Ron. I got up early and drove to school, arriving a full half-hour early to wait by Ron's locker. He surprised me when he showed up in just ten minutes, and to my rage he showed up with Bonnie. Had they been doing this all week? Now that I think about it, they have been together a lot more often than usual. How could I not piece it together? _It's because you think that Bonnie would never have liked Ron, and that she was just taunting him all the times they were together…and you didn't do anything about it._ That was going to change, now.

"Ron, we need to talk, alone." He stared back at me blankly.

"Um, about what KP—I mean Kim," he said, correcting himself.

"Duh, Ron. What do you think?" I sure hope he's playing dumb because I know Ron can't be this dense.

"Look, if it's about Bonnie, you can say it in front of her. I'm not going to leave Bonnie in the dark on what you have to say." God, Ron, has she corrupted you this much already? Can't you see she's just using you?

"Okay, fine then. Bonnie's has always been a manipulative, conniving bitch, and I don't know what she wants with you now Ron, but you better get the Hell away from her before she does something extremely vile."

"What's gotten into you?" This couldn't be Ron talking. He always listened when I talked seriously like this.

"Listen, don't you think it's kind of awkward that Bonnie goes straight to you, the person closest to me, right after I get her kicked off the cheerleading team? Can't you see the connection here Ron, or are you too dense and in denial to admit it?" That was harsh, I realized, but I had no choice. Ron had to see the facts now, before he got hurt even more. Bonnie just stood at the side silently, intently studying the both of us. "Well, if you don't, I'll spell it out for you. She's using _you_ to get back at _me_."

"Kim, I would never use Ron, and quite frankly, I don't care what happens to you." I glared at Bonnie.

"Just like how you didn't like Ron for his money but for himself when he became rich?"

"That's not fair; I was a different person back then."

"Maybe, but you're still the same old conniving bitch." How dare she try to sweet talk me with lies?

"Besides, why would I want you to get back at me from getting kicked off of cheerleading? In fact, that's probably the best thing that's happened to me in the past decade, if not my whole life." What the hell was she talking about? Cheerleading's a part of her life. "Because if it weren't for getting kicked off, I would have never gotten to know Ron." This was too much for me. I felt the anger inside of me boil, and I prepared to yell out before Ron interrupted me.

"Kim, maybe you should leave now, before you do something you'll regret." No, Ron, don't do this. Please. "Bonnie hasn't done anything wrong…" Except plot against us for the past decade. "…and I'm not going to stand around and let you insult my…friend." No. No. No. Ron did not just call Bonnie his friend. This wasn't Ron; he'd never turn against me, not for anyone. _Things change, things change._ _Maybe if you had shown him any loyalty at all, you'd still be friends now._ Before I could reply, I saw Bonnie and Ron walking down the hallway to first period, chatting away happily. Since I shared the same first period English class, I went in their direction, deep in thought. This time, I knew to observe those two, especially Bonnie.

First period started as usual, as our teacher Mrs. Cram entered the classroom and told us good morning. I looked around and saw Ron and Bonnie sitting together in their back corner, still chatting. _She must be really good at manipulation. _If I didn't know better, I would have thought she was genuinely smiling. Speaking of her smile, was she not wearing lipstick…or any other makeup at all? Mrs. Cram broke my train of thought.

"Ms. Possible, would you like to share your opinions on _Romeo and Juliet_?"

"Sure, um, I believe that…" The rest of the class period went by, boring the Hell out of me. After a slow morning, I ran towards lunch, eager to find Ron alone to talk to him. I avoided Josh as best as possible, knowing that this time I _couldn't_ let him interrupt my talk with Ron, not if I wanted to have any hope for restitution. Even though I knew I was early, Ron was still there in his corner, sitting alone as usual. I approached him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Hey Bonnie," he said, without looking up. "I found some things that—"

"Ron, it's Kim." I felt him tense up.

"What do you want now, Kim?" he asked, clearly irritated. "For the past three years, you've ditched and avoided me over and over. Why the Hell do you want to talk to me now? You want to try to make things right? If you had tried these past few years to be with me in the first place, there wouldn't be anything wrong. You want to talk about Bonnie? Okay, fine I will." As if on cue, Bonnie had just arrived at the table but said nothing. Since when did Ron and Bonnie eat together? _He's right, you know. Maybe if you had cared…if you had returned a fraction of what he gave you, then things would have never come to this_. Ron went on, oblivious to Bonnie's arrival. "Bonnie's changed, Kim, and I don't care if you believe it or not. I'm not going to tell you how I know, but I know. Besides, why don't you come out with the real reason you think Bonnie's manipulating me? I know how you've been thinking with your shallow mind these past few years. You don't think anyone like Bonnie would _ever_ socialize with someone like me, someone you'd call a loser behind my back. Well, you know what, KP? Grow up. High school's over in half a year, and there won't be anymore social hierarchies; the only sure thing after high school is that your true friends will be by your side, and I sure as Hell won't be by yours. Why don't you admit it KP? You think I'm a loser that can't get a girl like Bonnie without some ulterior motive, and that the _only_ reason Bonnie would get within a five-foot radius of me is to get back at you. Grow up Kim. She has; she at least realizes now that all the things that happen in high school, all the politics, the popularity, are all evanescent." Since when did Ron get so perceptive. _You know he's right, you think he's a loser and that's the real reason you think Bonnie's manipulating him. Stop denying it Kim, you've become shallow. Look at all your friends. How many of them are more popular than Ron? All of them. How many of them come within a fraction of his loyalty? None of them_. As I prepared to apologize to Ron because there was clearly nothing else I could do in this situation, Ron went on with his rant. "Yes, Bonnie's pretty, but I couldn't care less. I've gotten to know her more in the past four days than I've gotten to know you in the past four years KP, and you know what? She's great, not because of her looks but because of her personality. If you'd only get to know her now, you'd realize that she's changed for the better. In fact, she's probably the nicest girl I've ever known in my life, and she's extremely smart and talented too. Does your popularity and former rivalry blind you that much? Because I'll tell you now, it's all temporary. _Gam zeh ya'avor_, KP. It's Hebrew for 'This too shall pass.'" I stood there, stunned at Ron's intelligent rant. Was Ron always this perceptive and smart? Did he always think this clearly? _Maybe if you actually tried to know the real Ron, you'd know. Maybe if you weren't so busy ogling Mankey for the past few years, you'd know._ Knowing that Ron spoke the truth, I could do nothing but slink away, defeated once again. _Why did things have to change?_ Why did I have to change? It was always me and Ron, Ron and me; we were practically family, and I ruined it all. I left the cafeteria and went to the girls bathroom, allowing the tears to fall freely. As I stared into the mirror, I saw all the makeup on my face. _What have I become?_ I stared towards the ceiling and made a promise to myself: _No matter what, we will be friends again Ronald Stoppable, maybe even more._


	12. Chapter 12

A/N – Bear with me please. These past and probably next few chapters will be pretty slow, without much action. I have to illustrate all the emotional bonding between Ron and Bonnie before proceeding, no matter how boring it is. After all, I can't just be like "Ron and Bonnie are now best friends blah blah blah" without any back-story or explanation. Thank you for your patience.

Also, thanks to Classic Cowboy for spacing my fiction out so it looks cleaner as well as helping me out with a general understanding of Kim Possible.

**Ron's POV**

I've known, well truly known, Bonnie for two weeks now, and Winter Break is coming up. Even though I don't celebrate Christmas, I decided to buy Bonnie something for the holidays. After all, she's the only true friend I have. Thus, here I am, at the mall on a cold Saturday morning looking for a suitable gift. As I went from store to store, looking at everything cheap and expensive, shiny and dull, showy and modest, I couldn't find anything suitable. Then, from the corner of my eye I saw the perfect object. I picked it up and went to the owner of the shop and asked to get it engraved. An hour later, I left with the perfect gift for Bonnie and headed home.

"Hey, Ronny," my mom said to me as I walked in the door. "Someone called, a girl. It didn't sound like Kim though, and she didn't leave a name. She's a very polite young lady, though, Ron. Is there anything you're hiding from me?" my mom asked, smiling. I guess she was relieved that I hadn't been down so much lately. She correctly guessed that this was because of Bonnie. Speaking of her, I decided to wrap up my gift before calling her; I decided to give it to her next Friday, the day before winter break. As I put the golden foil over my gift, I tied a bow neatly over the top and attached a card. I then picked up the phone and called Bonnie.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bon, you rang?"

"Yea, where were you Ron?"

"Oh, you know, at the mall, taking care of some business."

"What business?"

"It's a surprise," I said slyly. I really wanted to give her this gift. It seemed so perfect.

"Okay, fine, don't tell me Ron," she pouted playfully. "Anyway, the reason I called. I know you're Jewish and all…but do you want to come over and have Christmas dinner with my family? It's not really a religious holiday in our household, but more like one where we just all sit together and be merry." My heart skipped a beat. Kim's family and mine always had dinner together; it was almost tradition. _So was your friendship_. Knowing that my parents would let me go, I gave my honest reply.

"I'd love to come Bonnie," I said happily. "I can finally meet your parents!"

"My parents have been anxious to meet you too, Ron. Quite frankly, they've been extremely eager to talk to you because they're curious as to how you managed to change me into something they've wanted me to be for years." She giggled at the other end of the line. "They think you're a miracle worker for changing me into a sincere and loyal daughter."

"Wow, I, uh, thanks." What else could I say? I'm still not used to compliments, though I'm starting to gain confidence about myself. I guess I am a pretty good guy. We talked for a few more hours, as we've been doing nearly everyday, before she had to go help her mom with decorations.

Kim's POV

I went to the mall this morning, preparing for the Holiday festivities that were coming up. Going from store to store, I picked up numerous gifts for friends and family. I decided that Josh would want something somewhat ostentatious, so I decided to buy him a silver-colored Fossil watch. It was quite expensive, but Josh deserves it, especially with all the emotional support he's given me after my breakup with Ron. Speaking of Ron, I couldn't help but smile wistfully at the Christmas memories we shared. He's celebrated Christmas with my family since, well, the first Christmas I could remember.

He'd always come over on Christmas morning, and we'd do childish things together that never got old between us. As night approached, his family would arrive with delicious dishes, and the Stoppables and Possibles would sit around the table soaking in the Christmas spirit of happiness and love. After dinner, we'd all gather around the fireplace and sing Christmas carols together and drink hot cocoa. Ah, those were the times. '_It'll never be the same again_,' a voice in my head said. A wave of nostalgia washed over me.

"I will make things right," I said out loud in a determined voice. It didn't matter to me now that Ron had been pushing me away the past two weeks because he was going to have to talk to me on Christmas. Because of that, I decided to give him his time and make up with him on Christmas day, and what day was more fitting than one that epitomizes love and forgiveness? Not only that, but I'm going to give Ron a gift that will seal our friendship and show him that I've learned from my mistakes, and that I'm ready to start over and become the friend I should have always been.

Knowing that it was impossible to buy something that sentimental, I knew it was time I opened the box in my attic filled with memories between Ron and me. With that thought, I left the mall and went home to start on my gift for Ron. This was going to be the best Christmas ever.

A/N – Yes I know this is a shoddy chapter. It's just so hard to write about nothing and sound really deep about it, especially when no events actually happen. Please forgive me for this chapter and understand that it is a plot setter and by the rules of nature has a right to suck. Just think of _The Attack of the Clones_ in the Star Wars series and _Matrix: Reloaded_.


	13. Chapter 13

_Ring! Ring!_ Setting aside the project I was doing for Ron, I answered the phone.

"Hey, Kim," said a smooth voice from the other end. "'Sup?" asked Josh Mankey.

"Oh, nothing, just wrapping gifts you know, for Christmas," I said.

"Yea, um, speaking of Christmas, would you like to come over for Christmas dinner?" I jumped at the thought. There mere idea of spending Christmas with sweet Josh sent shivers down my spine. I was about to say yes, before a voice in my head interrupted me. _Ron_.

"Oh, um, sorry Josh I can't come over…but you could come over here, and your family could probably come too. The more the merrier, after all," I said. "Besides, I think it's time our families met, you know, before we get deeper into our relationship and all."

"Hmm…that's actually a great idea KP. We're not going anywhere, so I'm sure I can convince my parents to go. This is great; our two families will finally be able to meet and hopefully enjoy each other's company. Not only that, but it'll be our first Christmas together." Right, this would be our first Christmas together, and it was going to be a blast.

"Well, then it's settled. The Possibles and the Mankeys will eat Christmas dinner together," I said.

"Great, anyway, thanks. I've gotta go know KP. Later." The phone clicked, and I set back on my project for Ron. _I can't believe you did that Kim._ What? _You know how Ron feels about Josh. Do you honestly believe you can repair your relationship with Josh over?_ Oh God, I forgot all about Ron's hatred towards Josh and didn't even bother to think of the consequences of inviting him over. _Tell him you can't invite him._ I can't. I just can't. I told him this would be our first Christmas together, and I don't want to hurt him by canceling it.

_Hurt him? **Hurt**_ _him? You're worried about hurting a man who cheated on you, when you willingly destroyed the man who stood by your side through everything_. As I stared down at my gift for Ron, I felt a sick feeling come to me. Knowing I couldn't work on it anymore, I set it down and went to bed. _No surprises or lies anymore Kim. You better tell Ron Josh is coming and that you invited him._ How would Ron respond to this? Would he…find a way to not come? _Maybe you should have thought of this **before** inviting Mankey_. With an ominous feeling about all of this, I fell asleep and prayed that everything would be all right.

****

Ron's POV – Friday before Winter Break

I woke up and picked up Bonnie, feeling extremely happy knowing it was the day before break. As usual, we arrived at school around twenty minutes early and stood by my locker chatting happily away. When she suddenly stopped and looked up, I followed her gaze and found my eyes upon Kim.

"Ron, we need to talk, alone if possible," she said without her usual confidence. No way was I leaving Bonnie out of this, especially since I didn't trust Kim.

"You can say what you need to say here Kim, and I swear if you're here to degrade Bonnie…"

****

Kim's POV

"No, it's not about Bonnie. It's about Christmas, that holiday where our families and us would always get together and be merry." I saw him fidget a little but thought nothing of it. "And, I'm really sorry Ron, but I invited Josh. I'm really sorry, but will you still come over early, so we can make snow angels and have snowball fights with the tweebs and make…" His glare cut me off.

"So, let me get this all straight. You're _trying_ to make things better, and this is what you do? You disregard everything Christmas has symbolized for us, and then degrade it by inviting Josh Mankey over? This is the last straw. I've tried over and over again to find room for forgiveness, and every time I come close, you pull shit like this. No, KP, I'm not coming, and I don't why you even give a damn. It seems you've found a replacement quite well, just like last time eh? Who are you going to run to this time when he cheats on you?"

This time I couldn't hold back the tears. _Nothing hurts more than the truth right? I'm surprised he hasn't physically hurt you yet. See it from his point of view. You act like you want to try and make things better, and whenever you do you drop a bomb that sends everything back to square one._ I was half expecting Ron to reach out and comfort me, as he had always done before. All I got was a cold stare.

"Are you crying Kim? Does this stain your perfect little world where everyone loves and adores you? Are you feeling pain? Well guess what, Kim; that's a fraction of the pain I've felt everyday since you dumped me. You think I'm going to comfort you this time? I don't even want to touch you." He said those words so bitterly, so filled with anger, and that burned my heart even more. _This is **your** fault. You could have been with someone who truly cared instead of a showboat who's probably been playing you during this whole **relationship** if you can even call it that. You had to make a choice, and you made the wrong one. Just hope the repercussions are not too extreme._

"Yea, Kim, leave Ron alone. You've done quite enough, and I'm not going to let you hurt him like this," Bonnie said, stepping in front of him. Did she think she could just step between sixteen years of friendship, as if she meant something?

As I felt my anger boil to a full, I punched Bonnie in the face, feeling her head lurch back against Ron as my fist made contact. All Hell broke loose inside of me then, as I started to throw punch after punch against a scared Bonnie who had her arms covering her face. As I went to throw another punch, I felt a hard hit in my stomach and then felt myself tackled and pinned against a locker. To my utter surprise and dismay, the person who had pinned me was none other than Ron. I felt my body go limp, and as he let go, I collapsed on the ground in a sobbing heap.


	14. Christmas Part 1

A/N – I once again apologize for the short chapters I've been writing, but the lack of action makes it hard to make longer chapters. In any case, that's about to change soon when the plot thickens and twists and turns are thrown in. Without further ado, I bring to you Christmas Part 1.

**Chapter 14**

"And what do you have to say for yourself, Miss Possible?" barked Mr. Barkin.

"I, I'm sorry sir," I replied timidly. I can't believe it; I had just physically assaulted Bonnie.

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time. This is a serious offense, assault on another student. Now I know you two haven't always been the best of friends and that you were the one who convinced me to get her booted off the team, but aversion is no reason to physically harm another student. Your record is clean, Possible, and Miss Rockwaller is not going to press charges. However, I am going to make sure that there are repercussions for your actions. First of all, you're off the cheerleading team, no questions asked. Following Winter Break, you will be in ISS for a whole week, and I will personally have a conference with your parents. Understand, Miss Possible, that such behavior is not accepted in this school nor anywhere else in civilized society. Return to class now and finish the rest of the day by refraining yourself from senselessly beating another student." I walked out of the office, struck at what I had just done and the consequences of my actions.

'Damn that Bonnie', I muttered to myself. Why did she try and get in the way of things? This was all her fault. _No, it isn't. You caused everything. If it weren't for you, Bonnie would still be on the cheerleading team and still be a snobby bitch. If it weren't for you, Ron would still be by your side._ Resigned, I headed towards class to finish off the rest of this dreadful day, knowing that I'd be in big trouble when I got home.

**Ron's POV**

"Bonnie, you sure you okay?" I asked. She had a few bruises here and there, though for the most part she didn't seem too hurt.

"Yea, Ron, thanks for taking me to the nurse and stopping…Kim from doing any further damage."

"I don't know what's gotten into her, but she had no right to touch you."

"I guess she's just really possessive. I'm sorry I got involved Ron, but I couldn't stand her treating you like that, after all she's already put you through." I felt really touched at Bonnie's sincerity and caring.

"Listen, I talked to the nurse. She said that if you didn't feel too well, I could take you home and let you rest. After all, today is our last school day before break."

"Yea, you're right. Let's go back to my house, and we can talk things over and sort things out. It's not like we're going to accomplish anything by staying here anyway." With that, she got up, and we went to the attendance office to sign out. As we drove away from Middleton High in silence, I could tell that Bonnie was in deep thought. _Kim did beat her pretty heavily back there_.

_I should feel lucky for being able to restrain her before any real damage could be done_. Yea, things could have gotten worse, a lot worse if I hadn't made an instinctive move to protect Bonnie from her assailant. Speaking of Kim, I can't believe she invited Mankey over for Christmas and then thought she could make things right. Maybe if I just forgot about her and ignored her entirely, things wouldn't be so complicated anymore. She's not the same Kim I've known and loved for well over a decade, and I have to accept that; she's now only a shallow shell of what she used to be.

"Ron, you still coming for Christmas?" asked Bonnie.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I said.

"So, you and Kim…you used to do this a lot?"

"Every year. I'd come over Christmas morning, and we'd exchange gifts before we went outside and just did things that people our age usually don't do anymore. We made snowmen, snow angels, built forts, and had snowball fights. That's all gone now," I finished, bitterly.

"Oh, must have been great, so carefree. I don't think I've made a snowman since I was eight. I guess I just grew up too soon, too fast, and too early for my own good. It wasn't until you came a long did I realize just how much I've been missing out on because of my shallowness."

"You know, you can still make up for lost time, Bonnie. We could still make snowmen; well, if it ever snows that is. It's been uncannily dry this year for some reason." That was very true. It's mid-December and not a drop of snow has fallen yet.

"Really?"

"Really. After all, you have a lot of catching up to do, and it's never too late to start." We arrived at her house, and she turned to face me.

"Thanks, Ron," she said warmly. "Wanna come in and get some hot chocolate? Maybe pop in a movie?"

"Sure thing," I said, getting out of my car and walking Bonnie to her house.

**Christmas Eve**

For Ronald Stoppable, Christmas Eve had been relatively quiet. He didn't have many friends, but the ones he had were all true. As he watched _Miracle on 34th Street_, a traditional movie shown on Christmas, he couldn't help but smile at the innocence and joy of it all, of being a child. To him, his life with Kim as children was priceless and independent of the misfortunes that had befallen the duo recently.

"_And, if the United States Federal Government can state that there is a God, then this humble courtroom can rule that there is a Santa Clause_!" the TV blared. Ron smiled; those were indeed happy days.

For Kim Possible, Christmas Eve was quite the opposite. She worked diligently to get all the gifts for her family and her numerous friends wrapped.

'Damn!' she muttered to herself as she got a papercut. She wiped off the blood on a small piece of wrapping paper and set back to work. While the rest of her family was sitting cozily in front of the TV watching Christmas movies, Kim was trying to figure out what to write on the cards attached to each present. There's no time to rest, she thought to herself. I have to get this done before Josh comes over tomorrow. With that, she set back to work. She frowned as another drop of blood fell from her finger.

Sitting on the couch by an open window, Bonnie wistfully stared out in to the darkness. As she started to drift into a deep sleep, she could have sworn she saw a single snowflake fall; it was going to snow for Christmas.

**Christmas Day**

_Ring! Ring_! The sound of the phone jerked me awake, but I didn't mind as I would have usually. Today was Christmas! I picked up the phone and realized it was Bonnie.

"Ron! It's snowing! There's white everywhere!" she said, extremely excited. "Come on, let's make up for my lost time!" Before I knew what I was doing, I jumped up and looked out the window; indeed, it was a surprisingly white Christmas. I mentally jumped for joy, glad that snow had come on the one day that needed it to be perfect.

"I'm on my way now," I said to her, getting dressed and sprinting to my car, grabbing my present for her on the way. _Awesome.__ I'm still going to all the things I've done every Christmas, except this time it's in an up and coming relationship instead of a faltering one._

As I drove in serenity, I turned on the radio and was, predictably, greeted with Christmas songs. Fittingly, it played _White Christmas_, which made me get a warm feeling inside.

****

**_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas   
Just like the ones I used to know  
Where the treetops glisten   
and children listen   
To hear sleigh bells in the snow_**__

**_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas   
With every Christmas card I write   
May your days be merry and bright   
And may all your Christmases be white_**__

**_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas   
With every Christmas card I write   
May your days be merry and bright   
And may all your Christmases be white _**__

"…and may all your Christmases be white," I finished, singing along with the radio. A few minutes later I arrived at Bonnie's and got out whistling to myself. I felt something approach me, so I turned around only to be met with a cold snowball.

"Gotcha!" Bonnie yelled. Laughing, I started making snowballs of my own to chuck back at her and before we knew it, it was an all out snowball war. '_It's going to be a great day'_, I said to myself, content for the first time since _that day_.

**Kim's POV**

I groggily sat up in my bed after a night of present wrapping and looked outside at the white, luminous snow which covered the landscape. As I made my way downstairs, I felt myself get pushed aside and realized it was the Tweebs, already dressed in their snow gear and running outside. As Tim trailed behind his twin, I heard him yell something at me.

"Kim, when's Ron getting here?" _Ron_. I felt my mood instantly dampen and knowing I couldn't let on to the Tweebs that anything was wrong, I decided to tell a white lie.

"Um, he's really busy today. He said he probably wouldn't make it," I lied, hoping that the issue wouldn't be pressed further. Unfortunately, it was. Instead of brushing it off and continuing outside like I had expected, both of the Tweebs came back in.

"Kim, he's, he's at least coming…" started Tim.

"…over for Christmas dinner right?" finished Jim. Sighing, I decided that they deserved to know.

"No, I'm afraid not," I answered miserably.

"But, but mom said she got gifts for the Stoppable's…"

"…so that has to mean they're coming…right?" I never knew the Tweebs thought so much of Ron coming over too but then again, I shouldn't really be surprised. Ron's been over for Christmas ever since they were born, and he's almost as big a part of their Christmas as he is mine. Every Christmas we'd have two on two snow fights, with the Tweebs using their little inventions to cover us with snow while laughing and having an incredibly good time. How could I forget that Ron wasn't just a part of me but of my family too?

"I'm sorry," I whispered, feeling extremely guilty at Ron's absence. "His parents are coming, but I don't think he will." Two stunned faces stared back at me.

"But…but what about our snow fights? And our new inventions that we wanted to show Ron? What about Rufus? What about his lame jokes that always made us laugh? What…what kind of Christmas is it without Ron?" I looked down at the floor, feeling awful. This was all my fault; I had not only managed to shove Ron out of my life but out of my family's as well.

"Don't worry," I said, with as much cheer and happiness as I could manage. "We'll celebrate without him and besides, Josh is coming over today and you can meet him. I bet you'll love him just as much, if not more than Ron." Who am I kidding? The Tweebs hate Josh.

"Wait…isn't Josh that double-crossing, two-faced pretty boy with blond hair and thinks he's cool?" I sighed. _God, Ron, I miss you so much._

"Yea, that's him," I said, sighing to myself again. This was going to be an awful day.

**Ron's POV**

Taking a break from our snowball fight, Bonnie sat next to me on the couch drinking hot cocoa and watching _Frosty the Snowman_.

"That's so…sad," she sniffled. "Frosty…he melted." I looked over at her, seeing a sad expression on her face. _How quickly had her childhood ended? How long has society kept her in its superficial grasp?_ I couldn't help but feel regret for Bonnie; she had lost so much time and missed so much. The quest for popularity and image had stolen her innocence.

"You know, after this, we can go build some snowmen of our own."

"Really? That's a great idea; we'll make him just like Frosty!"

"Heck, we could probably even make an army of Frosties with the snow coming down like that," I said, glancing out the window at the heavily falling snow. At least a foot of snow blanketed the landscape, rapidly getting deeper.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N – PLEASE REVIEW!!! If you don't review and tell me what I'm doing wrong, I can't get better at writing now can I? Thanks to Dr. Odd for his excellent suggestion on writing this story from an outside character's POV. This chapter comes from Bonnie's mom's POV. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed my story, especially Classic Cowboy for just going over things for me.

****

Chapter 15

I smiled as I saw Bonnie laughing with her friend Ronald. Such a sweet young boy, he's really teaching her what matters in life. I've been trying for years to get that "image is everything" crap out of her head but to no avail, an even harder task considering that I was a businesswoman specializing in advertising. He must be real special, I thought to myself. In fact, it was my idea to have him over for Christmas, so that my husband and I could finally meet him and find out just what it was he had that no one else seemed to. After all, he had changed my daughter from a depressed, shallow narcissist into a loving and respectable creature. I smiled as I thought of the seemingly overnight transition.

****

Weeks Ago (Day before Ron met Bonnie)

"Hi, sweetheart, how was your day," I asked my daughter sweetly, hoping that today would be the day she changed.

"Great, mom," she said, dripping with sarcasm. We haven't had any mother-daughter conversations that meant anything for years. She's been out of the house more and more often, doing God knows what with God knows who. From the information I've picked up, it seemed as if she had gone out with every football player and jock at some point in her life, never keeping a relationship for more than a few weeks. As a mother, it was killing me on the inside, knowing that my own daughter was becoming a stereotypical snob and a victim of society's superficiality. I saw her pick up a diet coke and walk to her room, probably to talk on the phone or do some homework. My cell phone rang and realizing it was one of my clients, I headed out, giving my husband a peck on the lips on the way. I sighed; working on Sunday was definitely not going to set a good example for my already overworked daughter.

It was going to be another late night, and I realized we weren't going to have a family dinner…again. It seemed to be decades since my whole family just sat down and ate together. Bonnie would either always be out or doing her homework or practicing her cheerleading or whatever, always muttering about this "Kim" character and how she needed to beat her. I realized years ago that it was becoming unhealthy competition, but I could never persuade my daughter to let it go. In fact, every lecture I gave her seemed to inflame her spirit even more, pushing her harder than ever. Finally, I just gave up, thinking it was impossible for either me or my husband to change her, and it was our own damn fault for giving her the vibe that looks meant everything.

****

Monday (The next day—The day she changed)

Staying up until two a.m. drinking coffee and working was not the way I planned my Sunday; I decided to stay home today to just rest and let the stress just wash away…for now. Bonnie groggily came down to the breakfast table in a short miniskirt, face laden with makeup. How could she wear that, and in winter no less? Deciding not to irritate my daughter (there's been too much of that), I just kept our conversation to general topics like current events and such. She left without saying goodbye and sped off in her car, probably already on the way to degrading others to make herself feel better. I sighed, and looked over to my husband, hoping he'd have an idea.

"I just don't know what more we can do for her, honey. We've been so busy with our lives that we neglected her and became examples of everything we didn't want to be. Superficial, image-making, greedy-looking people." He was right, of course, as he usually was about Bonnie. He had known to refrain himself from having a heart to heart talk with Bonnie, knowing that it would lead to nothing but a huge argument. I sighed, realizing that my relaxing day at home was not going to be so relaxing after all.

Bonnie returned home at four, which was quite surprising considering the fact that cheerleading went on until 5:30. Without a single word, she grabbed a diet coke and went to her room to close her door. She came down an hour later to eat some food and, to my surprise, she wasn't meticulously analyzing the nutrition labels. At 6:02 p.m. (I could never forget that time), the phone rang and I picked it up, hearing a masculine voice on the other end asking for Bonnie. Deciding that it was probably just another one of her boyfriends (none of which she had any emotional attachment with), I was about to tell him to hold on before I found the phone plucked from my hands by Bonnie. Surprised, I could do nothing but wonder why she had been so eager to talk to this boy, when she blew off all her other boyfriends like excess luggage if she was in the middle of something.

"Hey, Ron!" she said excitedly. "I'm so glad you called." I almost dropped my coffee mug in surprise. Since when did Bonnie sound genuinely happy? Ron, I told myself. Remember that name. Even more to my surprise, she stopped her eating all together and headed to her room. Bonnie never stopped in the middle of something to talk to a guy. He's either a psychotic murderer that Bonnie's trying to ward off by talking to, or he's a really sweet guy. Deciding that the psychotic murderer scenario was more likely, I headed to Bonnie's room to eavesdrop.

"No way...you've been to all the continents? Even Antarctica? Really? Wow, you are amazing, not to mention incredibly sweet." I shook my head in disbelief. Did Bonnie just give a genuine compliment? Two of them? Realizing that something good had begun, I quietly walked away, not wanting to ruin whatever was happening.

Three hours later, I heard Bonnie hang up the phone and come downstairs to the living room, where I sat with my husband watching a movie. Deciding now to be a good time to talk to her, I initiated the conversation.

"So, why didn't you go to cheerleading today, sweetheart?" I asked.

"Got kicked off," she said nonchalantly. The tone in which she said surprised me far more than the action itself; cheerleading had seemed to be her life and getting kicked off should have really pushed her to the edge, if not over. It was the one thing we could talk about without harsh retaliations, and I could tell Bonnie really had a passion for it, considering she was always training in order to be better than this "Kim" character.

"Oh, I'm really sorry," I said, still stunned at her tone.

"It's fine, mom. I'm actually kind of glad I did. You see, I met this guy…" The rest is history. Bonnie went on to tell me that this wasn't one of the glamorous guys she had always hung around, but rather one of those everyday, run-of-mill guys. As she talked about him for another ten minutes straight, she stopped and blushed when she realized that the TV was off and both my husband and I were staring at her.

"Honey, you actually _like_ your boyfriend for who he is on the inside this time?" I asked, still in shock. Had the ice queen's heart finally melted? She giggled in return, a genuine, warm chuckle, devoid of any condescending tones. It was probably the first time I heard her giggle like that since she was eight.

"Ron's not my boyfriend, mom. I'm not even a friend of his; at least I don't think so." What? She was so excited over a guy who she wasn't even friends with? I pinched myself to make sure I was delirious or dreaming. The sharp pain alerted me that I wasn't. "Well, not yet anyway. You see, I've been really giving him a hard time for the past…well, over the past decade, calling him names and stuff." He was a typical loser that Bonnie picked on? And now he seems to have more influence on Bonnie than anyone? I was confused to the point that I was speechless, and I could tell my husband was too. Deciding it'd be better to stop questioning Bonnie, I looked over at my husband, and he understood my body movements perfectly.

"Sweetie," he said, getting up. "If you two jump into a relationship together, just know that you can always invite him over for Christmas dinner, the one day your mother and I _know_ we can meet him." After that last statement, my husband and I left to go to our bedroom and to talk about this new, fortunate turn of events.

As the days passed, Bonnie seemed to be smiling more and more and dressed far more conservatively. In fact, the only makeup she seemed to wear at all was lipstick, if even that. One night, she came downstairs to talk to me about life.

"Mom, why are you so concerned with your image? You've always been trying to teach me that it's what's on the inside that counts, but you know I couldn't really believe you when…"

"When everything I did is so heavily influenced by image?" She nodded silently, patiently waiting for me to go on. "Your father and I, we both took glamorous jobs when we came out of college. Not only were they high paying, but they were filled with smart, charismatic, and yes, pretty people. It seemed so right to us, even though we ourselves weren't really that shallow. We may have been somewhat, but everyone is."

"Not everyone…" I heard Bonnie whisper. Deciding it best not to go into that, I continued on.

"When you were born, we told ourselves we were going to raise you to be a kind, respectable person. Remember when you were little? We tried to associate you with as much diversity as possible, hoping you'd understand and appreciate those that weren't the same as you. You bought it at first, but then you began to grow up." She sat there silently, taking in everything I was saying and analyzing it in her head. "When you were three, you always told everyone you met 'I want to be just like my mommy,' so I guess your shallowness was my fault. Your father and I never realized that there would be repercussions to our profitable jobs, and when we did discover them it was already too late. Society had already corrupted you and your innocence, and no matter what we did, you wouldn't listen to us dear. We tried everything, but the more diversity we showed you the more disrespectful you became."

"I'm sorry mom," she whispered, tears brimming at her eyes.

"You had us real worried honey. We didn't want our daughter to end up being a type of person that your father and I could never come to respect, a shallow, narrow-minded bigot."

"You mean…you truly meant everything you lectured me on?"

"Of course. We taught you how to be successful and instilled a solid determination inside of you. This was all good and merry at the time until we realized the price. You began to frown upon those you considered inferior and only hung out with the popular kids. You stopped getting to truly know people, unless it was to manipulate them. Our plan to make you a determined, new-age woman had backfired on us. Instead of just striving to do your best, you had to be _the_ best at everything. Don't think I didn't see you pull all-nighters studying because you were so busy training yourself with athletics. You had a fiery passion inside of you, which is normally a good thing. However, while most people had a spark that drove them on you had a raging fire which seemed to be consuming you. You became withdrawn from us, throwing our advice into the wind and through it all, your father and I realized we had no one to blame but ourselves."

"Oh, mom, I'm so sorry," she said, starting to cry. "I'm so sorry about everything."

"No, sweetie, it wasn't your fault. Children become what they were raised to be. Now back to your question. I'm not really that concerned with my image anymore, though you have to realize that I still have to make one. When you're in business, you have to make everything appear appealing; it's not shallowness, it's just the way things work."

"Well, mom, I'm glad to tell you that I've changed…for the better."

"I know," I said, feeling a wave of happiness and relief crawl through me. "I've seen the way you've been dressing lately and the lack of makeup you've been putting on. I've seen your genuine smiles you'd get when I'd see you walk in the house at night. Let me guess, this is because of your boyfriend Ron." She giggled, but then got serious.

"Mom, Ron's not my boyfriend. We're just friends, and I'm extremely glad we're even that. You see, I've been a real…bitch…to him this past…well, decade or so. You'd think anyone who's taken that much abuse from me would just love to see me fall, especially when he's Kim Possible's best friend." Kim Possible, of course! She was that teen super hero and head cheerleader, the very person Bonnie had been pushing herself to exceed.

"Wait, I thought you said you considered him a loser. How was he Kim Possible's best friend then? Was it just you who considered him one…or was it everyone?" After all, these past few years Bonnie only considered people losers if everyone else did.

"Well, almost everyone considered him a loser, except Kim. I'll be honest with you mom. I've been extremely jealous of Kim over the years but not anymore. She's always been better, one step ahead of me, and I drove myself to extreme ends to make up for the gap in between us. It's not until lately I realized just where Kim's abilities came from; they came from Ron. You see, Ron…he's not like other guys. He's so loyal, to the point where he'd _die_ for his _friends_. Every single time Kim had any trouble, Ron was there for her, which made it seem to everyone that she was _perfect._ She was always smiling, always had confidence, and never panicked or worried; and I, just like every other fool in the school, assumed that she was perfect because she was born with all those talents. Now I know it's because of Ron. You see, he and Kim have been drifting ever since sophomore year, when Kim got caught up, just like me, in the rivalry between us. The only difference was she had Ron, and that made all the difference. Kim would be _dead_ right now without Ron. In fact, Ron went through the Amazon Jungle once to save Kim while she went out on a _date_ with Josh Mankey, the one person Ron truly despises. You'd think that he would have been pissed, but no, he still stuck by her side and watched out for her. Saving her life and helping her missions were just the big things he did for her, but it was the little things that truly made her talented. He would always put his own popularity at stake so that Kim would have more, so that eventually he didn't have any left. Quite frankly, he didn't care either, as long as Kim was happy. One time, he even delayed a talent show with extremely embarrassing antics just so Kim wouldn't be late for her performance. Are you starting to see what kind of guy Ron is now mom?" I nodded silently, still feeling a little skeptical about this 'Ron' character.

"At every turn, Ron would be there to support Kim, to whisper in her ear that anything was possible for her. With his confidence in her, she couldn't fail. You're probably wondering how I could know this, and all I can say is that it's my gut feeling and undeniably true. I've talked to Ron for only about a week and I already feel like I'm on top of the world. Getting booted off the cheerleading team is _the_ best thing that ever happened to me because I met Ron then. He's not friends with Kim anymore because, quite frankly, Kim really went too far this time, even in Ron's mind. He's the best friend I've ever had, and I'm not going to take him for granted," Bonnie said determinedly. "Not like, Kim," she added, barely audible. I got up and sat next to Bonnie, putting my arm around her. Things were looking up for her so quickly, and she had learned so much in such little time, all thanks to this one man.

"Your father and I will be happy to meet him at Christmas, if he can come that is."

"Yea, he's coming, and I can't wait." With that, Bonnie hugged me back and went upstairs.

****

Christmas Day (Back to the present)

I watched as Ron and Bonnie threw snowballs at each other, laughing in childish glee. Not being able to help myself, I let out a small laugh of my own, seeing only happiness in the close future.


	16. Christmas Part 2

A/N—Once again, PLEASE review. I need to get better at writing if I'm going to be able to do well on my SAT II's.

To Dr. Odd: If you haven't read the reviews section I'll say it here. Once again, thanks for the suggestions and advice. However, we seem to have a discrepancy on the comma thing. I believe my comma usage is correct since I'm connecting an independent clause with a dependent clause, thus preventing comma splices and such. Anyway, I'm almost entirely positive, but I'd appreciate some input on this subject from some other readers.

Huge thanks definitely goes out to Classic Cowboy, and the angsty dialogue that will show up in this chapter was based upon his Matrix dialogue. In fact, if you consider this chapter well-written please go read Classic Cowboy's fanfics, since he is heavily behind this chapter's good parts.

**Chapter 16**

I watched as the immaculately white snow had deepened to nearly a foot and a half when the Tweebs stalked back into the house. They weren't in their usual frenzy of laughter after coming in after a snow fight like every other Christmas, but then again this Christmas really wasn't like any other Christmas. _Everyday brings back a memory of Ron_ I thought to myself. _Christmas makes the thoughts inevitable_.

"So I guess Ron really isn't coming…" said Tim sadly.

"…or maybe he's doing this on purpose to surprise us with a huge celebration!" finished Jim, enthusiastically. The tone made me wince; it was so filled with hope, an impossible hope but it was hope nonetheless.

"Jim, Tim," I whispered softly, clearly taking them by surprise. I hadn't called them by their real names in ages. Their ears perked up, intently listening to what I had to say. "Ron isn't coming, and it's all my fault," I said, finally breaking down into tears. _This is supposed to be a day of loving and caring and friendship; thanks to me, it's become day of day of regret and guilt over what I had lost…no, thrown away_.

The tweebs walked up to me and hugged me, the years clearly making them more insightful and empathetic. "This isn't because you broke up with Ron is it?" asked Tim timidly. At that moment, my parents walked in to bring the Tweebs hot cocoa when they saw us all in a tight embrace, tears glistening over my eyes.

"Kimmie-cub?" my father whispered compassionately. "Is it about Ron?" I couldn't take it anymore; I had to tell someone instead of keeping it bottled up.

"Mom, dad, Jim, Tim, I think it's time I told you the whole story."

**Ron's POV**

Bonnie laughed uncontrollably as my leg fell into the snow again, causing me to fall over.

"You're doing it wrong, Ronnie. You have to do it like this." She took a single step and fell into the snow, sending the both of us into another laughing fit.

"Bonnie, I…haha…I…haha…we need…hahahaha…to get a hat for Frosty," I said, still laughing uncontrollably.

"Well…haha…you're…the…haha…man here," said Bonnie, trying her best to regain her breath from all the laughing. "You…haha…get it," she said. Knowing that when a woman has her mind set, I tried my best to make it through the deep snow, causing Bonnie to laugh even harder. I smiled to myself in contentment and satisfaction.

**Kim's POV**

"…and that's why he's not coming," I finished, trying my best to hold back the tears. "Mom, why did he, why did I have to change?" I asked, breaking down into tears. My parents embraced me tightly, holding me to them, trying to calm me.

"Honey, you can't change the past, but you can try to repair the future. Tell Ron how much you care about him before it's too late, and don't make it a half-hearted effort. You need as much sincerity as you can muster, you have to _show_ him you're sorry and still care a lot. It seems that every time you've wanted to do this you let Josh come into the middle. You're going to have to make a choice sooner or later," my mom said, keeping me in her embrace. I just sat there, sobbing on her shoulders and praying for the best.

**Ron's POV**

"Oh God, this hot cocoa is so nice," I said. "You're a great cook Bon."

"Ron, it's packaged hot cocoa mixed with boiling water," Bonnie said, laughing.

"Oh, well, it's still really good," I said sheepishly, as Bonnie sat down across from me on the small table.

"That was the most fun I've had since…well in my whole life!" Bonnie exclaimed. "Watching kids movies, building snowmen, drinking hot coca, watch you stumble in the snow…" she chuckled. "This day has been perfect."

"Thanks, it's been absolutely amazing for me too. By the way, I got you a very fitting present for Christmas."

"Really? You're so sweet. I wasn't sure if were exchanging gifts, so I got you one of course. I think you'll really like it."

"Bonnie, I'll like anything you give me," I said truthfully.

Oblivious to both of the teens, Bonnie's parents were watching them, smiling to each other.

**Kim's POV**

"Kimmie, dear, the Mankeys will be over in half an hour. How about you get cleaned up now?" I nodded, not feeling any better. I went upstairs and turned on the shower faucets, savoring the misty heat. As I took of my clothes in stepped in, the pure warmth of the water alleviated my pain a little. _I've got to stay strong. I can't let Josh know how unhappy I am; it's Christmas, and it should be a day of love and joy, and I'm going to try and keep it that way._ Finishing my pleasant shower, I stepped out, dried off, and went downstairs with as much joy as I could muster.

_Ding dong!_ Excitedly, I ran to the door and opened it.

"Merry Christmas!" I yelled.

"Oh Kim, you're so sweet," said Mrs. Mankey stepping inside and taking off her shoes along with the rest of her family.

"Hey Kim," Josh said in his sexy voice. "You wanna exchange presents after dinner?"

"Sure thing!" I said, relieved that this dinner would occupy my mind and keep it of Ron.

"Oh hi, Mrs. and Mr. Mankey! It's so nice to meet you," my mom said sweetly, coming to the door to shake hands with Josh's parents. "And my oh my Josh, you're still as handsome as ever." Josh pleasantly thanked her with a huge smile, before I took his arm and led him to the living room.

"So, you ever watch Christmas movies?" I asked.

"Well, not really. I haven't seen any for years; personally, I think I'm too old to watch them."

"Oh, okay," I said, trying to stifle my disappointment. "I guess we are a bit too old aren't we?" I replied, giving a small, empty laugh. "Well…do you want to just snuggle up on a couch and talk?"

"That sounds great." _Yea, great.__ I was looking forward to watching some Christmas movies with him too._

"Yep, sounds great!" _Just great._

**Ron's POV**

"Well, Ronald, you're quite the cook," said Mrs. Rockwaller to me as I helped her prepare the dinner.

"Yea, Ron's probably the great cook in the school," Bonnie said sweetly. I blushed a little at the compliment, still not so used to them.

"I'm not that good; I just like food," I said, causing both Bonnie and her mom to smile.

"So Ron, I've heard that you're Kim Possible's sidekick. Must be really exciting."

"_Used_ to be," I replied.

"Oh, really, what—" she stopped in mid sentence when she saw the 'Don't-ask' look she got from Bonnie. "So, you like Christmas movies?"

"Mrs. Rockwaller, I can honestly say I'm still a child at heart; I've seen _Frosty the Snowman _and _Miracle on 34th Street_ sixteen consecutive Christmases." Mrs. Rockwaller seemed to enjoy that statement.

"Well, after dinner maybe we could all sit in the living room and watch _A Christmas Carol_. It's been ages since we last saw that as a family."

"Sounds great," I said, continuing to add seasoning to the holiday soup. "It's been a long time since I saw that too."

Day had become night as the Possible family, Stoppable family sans Ron, and the Mankey family sat down to a warm, hearty Christmas dinner.

"Man, this sucks," Tim whispered to his twin.

"Agreed," Jim whispered back.

"It wouldn't be like this if…' Tim whispered, albeit too loudly.

"…if Ron were here," Jim finished in his normal talking voice. Mrs. Possible glared at the twins, not wanting to make a scene. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable just appeared apologetic.

"I'm sorry Ron couldn't make it tonight. He had…other plans," Mrs. Stoppable said. Kim visibly stiffened. _Other plans?__ I thought he was just going to stay home and spend Christmas by himself._

"Um, what other plans?" asked Kim, not caring about the boldness of her question. Mrs. Possible looked at Kim with a wistful but not unkind stare before answering.

"Well, he said he was going to Bonnie's house; he was in a cheery mood all week and left this morning right after she called. He said something about building snowmen and having a few snow fights." Kim looked like she had just been punched in the stomach. _No, no, no, she can't steal him from me. Ron's always done that with me. I have to talk to him. How could I have let this happen?_

"Kim, you okay?" asked Josh in a concerned voice.

"May, may I be excused?" asked Kim, her voice visibly straining. Receiving only silence from the rest of the table, she got up in embarrassment and ran to her room. _I'm not going to let this happen. This has gone far enough._ She picked up her cheerleading handbook and looked up Bonnie's number.

_Three_

"So, Ronald, it seems you've really made a positive impact on our Bonnie. We, as a family, would really like to thank you for that."

"T, thank you," Ron said appreciatively.

_Five_

"Are you two dating yet?" Both Bonnie and Ron visibly blushed, though neither saw the other's because they were avoiding eye contact.

"Mom," Bonnie said worriedly. She didn't want to ruin this, but she knew it wasn't her mother's fault since she thought they were a couple anyway. "Ron and I, we're just friends." If Ron had listened carefully, he would have heard Bonnie mutter '_for now'_ to herself.

_Nine_

"I've heard that you and Kim have been best friends for sixteen years; that's quite a relationship there," Mr. Rockwaller said.

"Yea, it was a long time, but I guess ultimately people drift." The saddened look on his face caused a quick change of subject.

_One_

"It must be really exciting to go to all the places you've been too Ronald. You've probably experienced more in your teen years alone than most people do in an entire lifetime."

"Well, like I say, experience is true knowledge."

_Seven_

"Mmm, this cooking's delicious," said Mr. Rockwaller, placing another piece of ham into his mouth.

"Ronald, you're an _amazing_ cook. This is probably the best Christmas dinner I've ever had," said Mrs. Rockwaller, causing Ron to blush profusely.

"It, it really isn't much," Ron said modestly.

_Six_

"How do you stay so modest with all your talents?"

"I, I'm not really that talented," said Ron, truly surprised that Bonnie's parents would think someone like him talented. _I guess that's what years of being a stepping stool does to you_. Bonnie was staring thoughtfully at Ron, smiling at his modesty and its effects on her parents.

_Four_

"You truly are—" _Ring! Ring!_ "Excuse me for a second," said Mrs. Rockwaller, standing up to retrieve the phone. She was quite irritated at the phone call because it interrupted her pleasant conversation with (_hopefully_ she thought to herself) Bonnie's future boyfriend.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Ron there?" asked Kim tentatively.

"Yes, and may I ask who's calling?"

"K, Kim, Kim Possible." There was a moment of silence.

"Hold on," Mrs. Rockwaller replied coldly. "Ronald, the phone's for you; sorry about this interruption." Ron silently strode up to the phone, hesitantly answering it as Mrs. Rockwaller returned to the dinner table.

"Hello?"

"Ron, it's me. WeneedtotalkI'msosorryabouteverythingand—"

"Kim, first of all I can't understand a word you're saying," Ron said coldly. "Second of all I have no reason to listen."

"Please, just hear me out," Kim said, on the verge of tears.

"Make it quick," came the dark reply.

"Ron, I'm so sorry about everything. I never meant to hurt you the way I did, and I shouldn't have ever gotten Josh involved in all of this. I just want you to know that you've always been my best friend and still will be if you'll only forgive me. We can put the past behind us, and—" _Always been your best friend? Past behind us?_ Ron felt his anger boiling as he went through all the events of the past few years in his mind.

"And what? Be friends? Watch you and Mankey go out and ditch me every night? Watch you rub in the fact that you're higher on the social hierarchy than I am? Listen to you tell me lies every day? See you forget me the moment you meet someone popular? Don't deny it KP. I know what you've become, and I don't want to be a part of it."

"What about all the missions we've gone on?" Kim was desperate now. The Rockwaller dinner had come to a silent halt, all members intently listening on the drama that was playing out.

"What about them? I was always the distraction; you always took all the credit. I did the dirty jobs; you got the glory. I was a partner to you when it was just us but a sidekick to you when others were around. And you know what? The one mission I went on alone without you was _for _you. I risked my life to save yours, and you almost threw it all away. Instead of staying inside like you should have, you went on a _date_ with Mankey. Here I was, running through the perilous Amazon Jungle thinking of nothing but my best friend and you were having a grand ol' time weren't you? Imagine my surprise when I returned to find you almost completely gone because you just _had_ to go out with Mankey. Did you even think of me, of what I was sacrificing for you?" Kim sighed, finally starting to see the truth of it all.

"What about our memories, our history? We'd always celebrate Christmas together, or go trick-or-treating or—"

"You mean we always went trick-or-treating before Monkey came into your life, or did you forget your lie already? You said you were going to be busy that night with your parents, so I told myself that it was something really important because we always went out on Halloween to trick or treat together. I trusted you, trusted that you would never lie to me unless it was _extremely_ important. I should have seen the signs back then; popularity is _extremely_ important to you, clearly more so than friendship. You had already started to turn into the shallow person you are now, lying to me to go to some stupid party. I was supposed to be your best friend KP, but I guess history and friendship mean nothing to you. Don't try to deny it; you brushed me off like a bad habit to have fun and leave me alone on the holiday we always spent together." The truth hit home, and Kim felt even worse, but she couldn't give up now. She had to find some way back into his heart.

"I'm sorry Ron, but you're only thinking of the bad stuff. Remember that spirit dance we went to Freshmen year…"

"Right, Freshmen year. That was before you started changing. You were my best friend back then, but things change; people change. Remember the year after? You were so nervous about asking Josh to the Spirit Dance that you'd always hide behind me whenever he walked by. Do you know how that made me feel? I was your best friend, without a date, and you didn't give a damn. All you cared about was getting a 'hottie' to go to a school dance with you, not caring about how your best friend of over a decade would feel about it. And you know what? I still stood up for you, encouraged you to ask Josh to the dance. You repaid me real kindly for that didn't you? You were having the experience of your life with Josh while I was stuck in a broom closet for an entire weekend with no one to talk to. Did you care? No, you didn't even notice that I was gone. Real friend you are." Silent tears rolled down Kim's face; the weight of it all finally hit home. _How could I have been so selfish?_ There was nothing left but an empty plea.

"Ron, just…please forgive me, for old time's sake, to back before I became what I am today. I, I need you."

"Right, just like you needed me when Josh cheated on you. I sure hope you haven't forgotten that. You ditched me on the one day we were going to spend together to go to a casual dinner with Mankey, and you know what? I _still_ forgave you because Monique said you were unhappy. _Unhappy!_ Here I was, dying on the inside, and I was worried about someone like you being unhappy. Monique was wrong though; I went to make reparations with you and you PUSHED ME AWAY AGAIN. YOU BRUSHED ME OFF AGAIN TO TALK TO MANKEY. THAT'S NOT WHAT BEST FRIENDS DO. THEY SUPPORT EACH OTHER AND MORE IMPORTANTLY STAY LOYAL TO EACH OTHER." Forcing himself to calm down, Ron continued, oblivious to the downcast eyes of the Rockwaller family. "And you know what? I _still_ forgave you. You came _running_ to _me_ after Mankey cheated on you and told me you loved me. YOU DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF LOVE. I'VE RISKED MY LIFE FOR YOU COUNTLESS TIMES WITHOUT HESITATION. I'VE GIVEN UP MY POPULARITY, REPUTATION, AND PRIDE JUST SO YOU COULD SMILE. I LOVED YOU, KP, WITH EVERYTHING, AND YOU—" Ron tried to finish but couldn't, the weight of his own words bringing tears to his eyes. He hung up the phone quietly, and felt a pair of arms over his shoulders.

"Come on Ron," said Bonnie quietly. "Let's sit by the fireplace and just relax. I'm here for you now." Sobbing uncontrollably, Ron walked with Bonnie and sat down on the couch with her, relaxing in her tight embrace.

"Bonnie," Ron whispered, after he had calmed down a bit.

"What is it Ron?" Bonnie quietly replied.

"I'm glad you're with me."

"Same here."

Crying quietly to herself, Kim Possible felt the power and truth of Ron's words assaulting her. _How, how could I have not noticed? Was I that blind to him?_ Getting herself cleaned up, she bravely headed downstairs, trying her best to put on a happy mask.

"Bonnie, I, I have something to give you," said Ron, pulling out a wrapped gift from his pocket. "I, I thought of you right after I saw this and had it engraved." She unwrapped the present and found a neatly crafted mirror with a wooden varnish outlining the edges. The brown wood on the outside, she realized, was the exactly color of her hair. On the bottom she saw the engraved words and hugged Ron. _Reflection lies within._

"Thank you so much Ron, for everything. Now let me get your present," she said, relinquishing her embrace. She returned with a neatly wrapped present with a Christmas card attached to it.

_To Ron,_

_ The time I've spent with you during these past few weeks have been by far the best of my life. Perhaps it's time we truly enjoyed these Winter Holidays. Thank you for everything and merry Christmas._

_With Love,_

_Bonnie Rockwaller_

Slowly, Ron unwrapped the small gift and found two tickets inside; Ron immediately realized these were tickets to the Middleton Ski Lodge.

"How about it? Wanna go skiing together?"

"S, sure. That sounds great," Ron said excitedly, before thanking Bonnie profusely. She just laughed in return.

"Come on, let's go watch _A Christmas Carol._"

**Meanwhile…**

"Kimmie-cub, are you feeling all right?" asked Kim's dad worriedly as Kim returned downstairs.

"Just fine," she said, feigning a smile as best she could. Dinner finished uneventfully for the three families, littered with small talk.

"How about we exchange gifts now?" asked Josh diffidently, not quite familiar with his surroundings.

"That's a great idea Josh," said Mrs. Possible. In unison, everyone got up and headed towards the living room.

"Mrs. Stoppable, can I talk to you?" Kim asked timidly.

"Sure Kim," replied Ron's mom, giving her a sad look. "It's about Ron, isn't it?" Kim nodded silently. Mrs. Stoppable sighed. She followed Kim to a secluded room, took a couch, and the two started talking. "The months before you started going out, Ron always seemed depressed and empty without you. You two just stopped hanging out, and when I asked him why he wouldn't tell me anything. I was really worried for him, until one day you suddenly came back into his life. When you two first started going out, I convinced myself it was pretty nice and wouldn't threaten your friendship in any way. After all, I told myself, you two have been best friends for sixteen years. However, I should have realized that I was only trying to convince myself of that because Ron had become so happy. Ron dearly loved you Kim; at the dinner table you were all he'd talk about; how good Kim was at this, and how sweet she was at that. You should have just seen the happiness in his eyes, dear; nothing could get him down. I saw the signs Kim, but I ignored him. Every time he pecked you on the cheek you seemed to wince a little; every time he's shyly hold your hand a look of guilt would cross your face. I guess it's my fault for ignoring these signs; as a mother, I just brushed them off as having a bad day or just feeling down. I couldn't accept the fact that your relationship, as well as Ron's happiness, was on the brink of destruction, so I ignored it. When Ron came home with tears in his eyes, his father and I tried to talk to him but couldn't. He locked himself in his room the whole weekend, not even coming out for food, which we just started dropping off outside his door. It tortured my husband and I on the inside, but we also knew that there was nothing we could do for him. We could only pray." Kim was openly sobbing. Mrs. Stoppable quietly got up and put a comforting arm around Kim.

"I, I'm so sorry. I just, c-c-couldn't tell him earlier."

"I know dear. I never got the whole story, but I know Ron will tell me when he's ready. Personally, I wasn't sure how long it'd take for Ron to recover, but a few days later he seemed better already which really surprised me. He started leaving for school half an hour early every morning and didn't have that dead look in his eyes anymore. I'm guessing this 'Bonnie' person must be someone really special to be able to even help Ron a little. In fact, she's coming over tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to meeting her." Kim winced but realized she was in no position to degrade Bonnie, not after she had caused so much pain.

"D, do you think Ron…could…ever…forgive me? I haven't always been the best friend I should have been," said Kim, still whimpering.

"Give him time and don't give up. Ron thinks the world of you. Kim, what made you decide you didn't love Ron?"

"I, I'm not sure. I just felt kind of, I dunno, guilty. I went to his, your house in my moment of vulnerability and told him I loved him, and it felt so _right_ at the time. As time passed though, I felt so _wrong_ and _dirty_, as if I were just using him. The feeling got worse as time went on…and I just thought I didn't really love him."

"Well, judging by the way you're still feeling now, you're feeling something for him. I can't tell you what it is, but you should really rethink your emotions for him." Kim stiffened. _Could I really love Ron?_

"T, thank you so much, Mrs. Stoppable."

"Hey, I can't stand to see you unhappy any more than I can stand to see dear Ronald. We're like family anyway. Now how about we go exchange gifts in the living room?"

"You go ahead without me. I've got some things I want, need to think about." Mrs. Stoppable gave Kim an understanding smile and headed back towards the rest of the group. Kim took a seat by the window and stared out at the now completely clear Christmas sky.

_Somewhere out there  
Beneath the pale moonlight  
Someone's thinking of me  
And loving me tonight_

The blue moon shone on Ron and Bonnie, cuddling together by an open window

in silence.

_Somewhere out there,_

_Someone's saying a prayer,_

_That we'll find one another,_

_In that big somewhere out there._

_Please, come back to me Ron._ Kim shivered with ambivalent emotions as she prayed.

_And even though I know how very far apart we are  
It helps to think we might be wishing  
On the same bright star _

_And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby  
It helps to think we're sleeping  
Underneath the same big sky_

The cold winter wind blew by, blowing snow across the empty streets of Middleton. Above the serene scene stood a lone star that shined the brightest of them all, as Ron, Bonnie, and Kim all stared up at it together.

_Somewhere out there  
If love can see us through  
Then we'll be together  
Somewhere out there  
Out where dreams come true _

_And even though I know how very far apart we are  
It helps to think we might be wishing  
On the same bright star_

_Ron, maybe I do love you, and maybe we still can be together._ She made a silent wish upon that special star.

_And when the night winds starts to sing a lonesome lullaby  
It helps to think we're sleeping  
Underneath the same big sky _

_Somewhere out there  
If love can see us through (can see us through)  
Then we'll be together  
Somewhere out there  
Out where dreams come true_

Kim dozed off on the couch alone, leaving a confused but respectful Josh watching Christmas movies with the rest of the group. Ron and Bonnie were still in their tight, silent embrace as they too dozed off together on the couch. Above the peaceful location of Middleton shined a single star that stood out among the rest, symbolizing that Christmas is indeed a day for hope, love, and forgiveness.

A/N—Sorry, this is somewhat of a first draft and I may go back through and correct errors. I just haven't updated this for days, so I'm releasing this now. Also, sorry for the sappy ending, but even I don't know where the story is going now.


	17. Replacement?

A/N—This chapter may be pretty hard to buy into reality-wise, but then again so is the whole idea of the Kim Possible cartoon. Thanks for all the reviews!

I just got braces today so my teeth feel really tingly, which means that it's hard for me to write because I can't concentrate. 

Please review.

Slight change of plans: I'm actually going to update a little more of TDiC before I go back and edit the first few chaps.

Another change: There's only a slight addition to this chapter, and it is now complete. I fixed the spacing and added a few lines.

**Chapter 17**

By the time Kim woke up, all the guests had been long gone, respectfully leaving without waking her up. She felt a neatly wrapped gift in her hand and realized that Josh must have dropped it off before he left. Silently unwrapping the gift, she found a purple velvet box with an extremely beautiful pendant in it. _How sweet_ she thought to herself. _I'll have to give him his gift and thank him later._ As she went to get some delectable Christmas food in the dark hours of the morning, her thoughts drifted back to Ron. _Well, Bonnie will be over at his house today, so I'll go over tomorrow to make things right_. Satisfied, she ate some Christmas cookies and turned on the TV.

---

As the morning sunlight poured in through the window onto two sleeping figures in each other's arms, one of them opened her eyes and blushed. Bonnie Rockwaller found herself still in a tight embrace with Ronald Stoppable and, seeing that he was still asleep, she closed her eyes and just savored their closeness together. _Wow, this feels really nice. He looks so boyish and innocent when sleeping._ She smiled again, thinking back on the wonderful day she had just spent with him. As she drifted off in to her thoughts, she felt him slightly stirring, signifying that he was finally waking up.

Ron yawned loudly, realizing that he was still embracing Bonnie tightly.

"It's about time you woke up Ron. We have to get going to your house soon."

"W, w, what?"

"Don't you remember? I'm supposed to meet your parents today."

"Oh, oh yea," Ron said groggily, starting to come to his senses. "Sorry, Bon, I'm just _really_ slow in the mornings." Slightly giggling, she got up and excused herself to shower and get dressed.

"By the way Ron, there's a shower in the guest room." Fully awake now, Ron set off to take his morning hot shower, which always felt heavenly in the cold winter months. Arriving at the top of the stairs, he looked around and realized he didn't know where the guest room was. Not wanting to disturb the peace, he crept around and tried to figure out which room was the guest room. Seeing a door not fully closed, he walked in and saw an almost nude Bonnie in nothing but a bra and a thong. As he turned crimson at his mistake, he forcefully jerked himself around, trying not to look back.

"Ron, w, what are you doing?" asked Bonnie, blushing furiously.

"Oh, um, um." _Stop being an idiot and just tell her you're lost._ "I, I don't know where the guest room is," he said sheepishly, trying furious to control the bulge in his pants and praying that Bonnie wouldn't notice.

"Oh duh, I never told you where that was did I? Third door on the left, and I'm really sorry," she said, continuing to blush. _Why do I blush so much when I'm around Ron? I've never had trouble keeping my cool with other guys before…_

Quickly jumping out of the room out of embarrassment, Ron found the guest room perfectly and went in. Turning on the faucet and taking off his clothes, he stepped in to the blissful warmth of the hot shower on a cold winter morning. He struggled to take his mind off of the sight he had just witnessed.

_'Wow, she's **really** fine.'_

_'Shut up.'_

_'I mean, those tanned legs and that—'_

_'Shut up! Have to think of something else; get your mind off of her.'_

_'Nothing can get our mind off of **that** bod; I mean—'_

_' She's my friend, and I'm not going to have this friendship end up like mine and KP's because I couldn't control my hormones.'_

The other voice in Ron's head shut up abruptly. His thoughts shifted to Kim, and he felt that same empty feeling assault him. _Why did you have to change Kim? Why couldn't it have stayed the same? You and me, me and you? You've been my best friend since pre-K, when we fought off those mean bullies, and we were with each other when you got that new comp. It was just us when you started those missions, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Back then, you were different; you weren't superficial and you didn't care about popularity. We were a **team**, but all good things must come to an end I guess. I guess our team started to crack years ago, but I was too in denial to admit it._ Sighing to himself, Ron completed the shower and stepped out, drying himself completely before putting on the same clothes he dressed in the day before. He really hadn't expected to stay all night, but he knew, or at least hoped, that his parents would understand.

Stepping out of the room fully dressed, he made his way downstairs and diverted his eyes from Bonnie's room just in case. However, Bonnie was already at the bottom of the steps waiting for him, with a slight blush on her cheeks as he came down.

"Listen Bonnie, I'm _really_ sorry about what happened back there."

"Oh, it's not your fault Ron. I forgot to tell you where the guest room was. Besides, you were a true gentleman about it, looking away and not staring. I really admire that."

"Thanks," he said, glad that Bonnie wasn't mad. "Well, let's get going," he continued, opening the door for Bonnie and following. As he stepped out after her, he tripped on the deep snow and fell face first. Covered in snow as he stood back up, he saw Bonnie laughing cheerily at him. With a small laugh of his own, Ron picked up some snow and tossed it at Bonnie, and she retaliated with a snowball of her own. By the time they made it to Ron's car, both looked like snowmen.

"Well, we better brush off this snow before we get in so it doesn't melt on us…and my car seats."

"Yea, good point." When they brushed most of the snow on them off, they jumped into the car and sped off.

"So, how did that Bueno Nacho naco thing end up anyway?"

"Oh, I'm not really sure. They haven't called me for a while; I did lose a hundred million dollars after all."

"Ron, I'm really sorry about all of that stuff that happened in the past. I just want you to know that now I really like you, and I mean _really_ like you for who you are. In fact, outside of family, you're my favorite person in the whole entire world." Ron blushed profusely, and this time Bonnie caught it. "Did you know you're really cute when you blush?" she asked, giggling. Ron turned an even darker shade of red, missing the subtle signs that Bonnie was dropping for him.

---

"Hey Josh, you want to hit the mall today? Sorry about last night; it was pretty…eventful."

"Sure thing. Oh, and I perfectly understand Kim. Did you get my gift?"

"Oh, Josh, it was _lovely_. I'm so sorry you didn't get your gift. I still have it here, and I'll give it to you today."

"Thanks. Hey, I'm going to go shower now. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, I'll just meet you there in an hour. I have some thinking I need to do."

"I understand. See you there in an hour?"

"It's a date."

Hanging up the phone, she got up and made her way towards the shower, undressing and then stepping into the blissful warmth. Sighing, her thoughts turned back to Ron.

_'Ron and Bonnie?__ It just…doesn't make sense.'_

_'And why is that?'_

_'Bonnie's always hated Ron and me. She's got to be using him against me.'_

_'Things change. I was always friends with Ron wasn't I? That changed didn't it? Remember when she stuck up for him during school? Did that seem fake? She's never even come near me when I got her booted off the cheerleading squad. Face it, she genuinely likes Ron and isn't using him.'_

_'No…no, it can't be true.'_

Resignedly, she realized that it _was_ true. _Well, I'm not going to let that bitch steal my best friend, not when I might still love him. I'm going to do things right this time, and no one is going to stop me. **Do I love Ron though?** I mean, if I didn't I wouldn't mourn losing him so much would I? What if it's just friendship after all? I can't betray him twice like this. Agh, why couldn't things just have stayed the same?_ _Oh crap! I'm going to be late! _Realizing that she had already been showering for half an hour, she quickly got out, dried off, and rubbed some lotion on herself before getting dressed. After taking a few rushed minutes to apply makeup, she sprinted outside, jumped into her car, and sped off towards the mall.

---

"So, how long have you known Ron?"

"Oh, probably for over a decade, though we haven't become friends until recently. He's by far the nicest and sweetest person I've ever met." Mrs. Stoppable smiled sweetly and thanked her.

"Well, um, if I'm not too bold to ask, are you two dating yet?"

"No, mom, we're just friends," Ron said, blushing again.

"So, are you two planning anything for the rest of winter break?"

"Well, we're going to the Middleton Ski Lodge tomorrow," said Bonnie happily.

"Really?" Mr. Stoppable said, entering the conversation. "My wife and I go there all the time; it's a really fun and rom—"

"Yep, it's a very fun place," interrupted Mrs. Stoppable. "Have you thought about college yet dear?" asked Ron's mom, quickly changing the subject.

"Well, I think I'll just go to Middleton University; I don't think I'm ready to live so far away from home."

"Oh really? That's where Ron wants to go too."

"Yeah, I know, that's another reason I'm going."

---

"Oh, thanks Kim. I've been wanting to get a new watch to replace my old one for a long time," said Josh, receiving Kim's Christmas present.

"Yea, I saw your old one get scratched pretty badly against the lockers."

"Definitely not one of my proudest moments," said Josh, giving her a smooth laugh. The couple was walking to the food court when they heard a gunshot ring out in the direction of the jewelry story.

"Hand it all over, NOW!" The frightened lady started to fill up the bag with precious items when Kim jumped into action.

"Kim!" yelled Josh, trying to get her to return but to no avail. With no other choice he headed off after her. Luckily for Kim, she still had the gadgets she always had on her for emergency purposes. Before the criminals knew what had hit them, two of the three were already knocked out before Kim felt the cold, clammy metal of a gun pushing up against her temple. For the first time in her life, death was truly an inch away.

"Damn!" said her assailant as the gun was knocked out of his hand. Stunned, she saw Josh beating the stuffing out of the now defenseless thief. _Wow, he's fast_ she thought to herself, before going to restrain him.

"Josh, that's enough! He's no threat anymore," she said as she pried Josh off the beaten man.

"No one threatens my girl," he said darkly, before turning away from the man and leaving him to the cops.

"Wow Josh, those were some moves you pulled there."

"Well, I guess athletics and painting gives me a good balance of strength, speed, and hand-eye coordination."

"Um, I'm not sure how to say this…but do you want to…I dunno, be partners temporarily for Team Possible until Ron comes back?"

"Really? Be a real superhero?" Josh asked, losing his cool for once. "Y-y-y, YES, I mean, sure, that sounds fine." Kim giggled.

"Thanks, I just need someone to watch my back until Ron forgives me."

"What do you see in him anyway? I mean, anyone would have ditched that loser, even if—" Kim slapped Josh hard across the face.

"Don't EVER talk about Ron like that," she said in a fierce tone. Rubbing his face, Josh gave her an apologetic look, realizing that he had crossed the line.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't know he still meant that much to you. It's just that, you've been really stressed about him lately, and I hate to see you like this."

"Yea, you're right. I have been really stressed about him lately," she said, sighing to herself.

"Excuse me," said a well-dressed man, cutting the conversation short. "I'm from the Middleton News Crew. Are you two the heroes who just saved that jewelry store a few minutes ago?"

"That's us," said Josh, appearing interested.

"Well, can we do a live interview with you two right now? It's the day after Christmas, and stories of heroics are always welcome."

---

After a pleasant breakfast, Ron and Bonnie went to the living room and turned on the TV.

"Maybe there are still some Christmas movies on," said Bonnie hopefully.

"Hello, I'm Dan Sullivan reporting from Middleton news. Two teen heroes have just saved the local mall's jewelry store from an armed robbery." The camera zoomed to Kim, who was clearly struggling to smile, and an ecstatic Josh Mankey.

"So, can you tell us who you two are and the story of your heroics?"

"Sure thing Dan. This beautiful young lady here is Kim Possible, and I'm her boyfriend and partner." Kim's smile quickly darkened.

_'Oh no, what if Ron sees this?'___

_'Don't worry. He can't be watching TV at this hour, especially with Bonnie over.'_ Still not completely relieved, she just tried her best to act natural.

"Yea, we make quite a team don't we? We'll—"

Ron shut off the TV in disgust. _So you've found a replacement for our missions too?_

"Ron, you okay?" asked Bonnie, seeing Ron turn red with anger.

"Fine," he said evenly. "If she doesn't want me on missions, then I don't want to go. It's time I moved on anyway."

A/N—I'll just end the chapter here. Please review, and you can expect an update soon. I'll edit the first few chapters after I go to school, since it'll be easier that way. Thanks for your patience.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N—Please review, etc, etc.  Shego/Drakken will come back into the picture very soon.

**Chapter 18**

            "See you tomorrow then?" asked Bonnie, stepping out of Ron's car.

            "Yea, I'll pick you up at eight in the morning, so we can get to the ski lodge in time for their free breakfast," said Ron, drawing a grin from Bonnie.  As he watched her walk back into her house, he couldn't help but smile.  Without another word, he drove off and headed home.

---

            Kim got out of her car and headed inside after an eventful day with Josh.  _Well, today's been…interesting.  Maybe I should call Ron and let him know I'm coming over tomorrow._  She cringed and decided against it when she remember their last phone conversation.  _It's probably best to show up in person to show him that I really care about him.  I've got to tell him about the Josh being my temporary partner dilemma too; he made it seem like we're permanent partners now on the news.  God I hope he didn't see that._

            "How was your day Kimmie-cub?"  Kim shrugged before replying.

            "It was okay I guess.  I just needed something to do before I headed over to Ron's tomorrow."  Mr. Possible perked up.

            "You've made up with Ron?"

            "Not yet, but tomorrow I'm going to.  He has to know how much I care for him, especially since I realize now maybe we can be a couple."

            "That's my girl.  You go and show Ron just how much you value him.  He'll forgive you dear; I've seen his eyes when he was still your…boyfriend."

            "I sure hope so…"

**The Next Day**

            "See you later mom!" yelled Ron as he sprinted to his car, eager to arrive early.

            "Bye honey!" she yelled after him.  She heard the screech of tires as Ron sped off towards Bonnie's house.  _Such a polite young lady, reminds me so much of Kim._  She sighed to herself as she recalled her talk with Kim.  _I hope Ron can forgive her, for both their sakes._  She got up and started preparing breakfast in a cheerful mood thanks to her joyous son.  As she added eggs to her cake mix, she heard a knock on her door.  Setting the bowl down and rinsing her hands, she headed towards the door.  _I told Ron to not forget anything._  She opened the door and to her surprise, it was none other than Kimberly Anne Possible standing nervously.

            "Hi Mrs. Stoppable.  Is Ron here?  I really need to talk to him."  Ron's mother cringed inside.  _What awful timing._

            "I'm sorry dear, but Ron left for Bonnie's house.  They're taking a ski trip today, and I don't know when they'll be back."

            "Ski trip?"

            "I'm really sorry Kim.  I know you want to make up with him badly."

            "How long ago did he leave?"

            "Oh, a few minutes ago."

            "Thanks," she said and started leaving.

            "Dear, you know you're always welcome here.  I'm sure you and Ron will patch things up.  You're both such great people."

            "Thanks, I'm going to try and catch him," she said, running to her car.  _Good luck Kim_, Mrs. Stoppable thought to herself.  _You two need each other._

---

            Without any hesitation, Kim jumped into her car and sped off to Bonnie's house.  _Come on Ron.  Please be there._  She silently prayed as she drove along the empty road.

---

            Getting out of his car, Ron made his way through the deep snow to Bonnie's front door.  He rang the doorbell and was greeted by Bonnie's mother.

            "Oh hi Ron," she said sweetly.  "Bonnie's just packing some extra clothing.  She'll be with you in a minute.  Would you like to come in?  Drink some hot cocoa?"

            "Thanks," said Ron, stepping inside and out of the frigid winter cold.  Taking off his shoes and coat, Ron sat down at the finely crafted kitchen table.  Mrs. Rockwaller made him so hot chocolate and set it down in front of him.  Taking a sip, Ron felt heavenly warmth creep into his body.  "I guess making good hot chocolate is a family trait," he joked.  Mrs. Rockwaller smiled.

            "Ron, this is instant hot cocoa mixed with boiling water."

---

            Parking in front of the Rockwaller residence, Kim was relieved to see Ron's car still parked there.  Not caring about whatever scene she would make by showing up, she ran through the immaculate snow and banged on the door.  The only thought on her mind was Ron.

---

            "Now who could that be?" asked Mrs. Rockwaller.

            "I got it mom!" yelled Bonnie, finally coming downstairs.  Unlocking the door, she opened it and found herself face to face with Kim.

            "Let me see Ron," panted Kim, clearly out of breath.

            "You have some nerve don't you?  You come over to my house unannounced after physically assaulting me and start making demands."

            "Listen, Bonnie, I'm really sorry but I need to see Ron," said Kim, shoving aside her pride and stubbornness.

            "I'm here, KP," Ron said icily, approaching the front door.

            "Ron, thank God!  I, you, I talked to your mom, and, I discovered some things, and then I—"

            "Kim, I have no clue what you're trying to say, and I thought I made it clear on Christmas that I have no desire to speak to you."

            "Ron, please just hear me out.  I really care about you, and no one can replace—"

            "Replace?  You mean when you replaced me with Josh Mankey as your spirit dance partner?  When you replaced me with him as the person you'd want to hang out with most?  Or do you mean the time when you replaced me with Josh after you got tired of going out with me?"  Ron's voice intensified with every sentence, a crescendo of rage boiling deep within him.

            "No, Ron, please, that's not what—"

            "That's not what you mean?  Like I haven't heard that one before.  What made you think you could just kick me off Team Possible-Stoppable; oh wait, I mean Team Possible."

            "Ron, I never kicked you off.  I—"

            "Right, you just replaced me.  It's ironic isn't it KP?  You say I'm irreplaceable but you replace me at your slightest whim."  Ron's voice had gone from justified anger to an icy cold, apathetic tone.  It drove Kim to pieces just to hear him talk so coldly to her.

            "Please, Ron…"

            "Come on, Bonnie.  We better hurry if we're going to beat the traffic there," said Ron, walking by Kim and to his car.  Bonnie followed, closing the door on her way out and giving Kim a sympathetic look.  At some level, it hurt her to see her once greatest rival so beaten.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N—Phew, this sure took a long time didn't it? I've been _very_ busy lately, so I haven't written much of anything at all.

Eric—thanks for your enthusiasm. I got the message.

Ace Lannigan—Thanks for your reviews on all my stories.

Lonestarr—Even though I perfectly agree with your criticism, I really can't do much about without Ron and Kim getting back together. Sorry about that but I'll try to lower their confrontations.

Eckles—Wow, thanks for that insightful review. I perfectly agree with your statement about how Bonnie needs to let Kim and Ron get their problems settled, but I admit that the Ron/Bonnie relationship was not planned in the beginning. Also, I just can't really see Ron forgiving Kim, at least not this early.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed; I really appreciate it.

Lastly, please read and review, so I can see how strong (or weak) this story is going.

**Chapter 19**

Ron quietly walked into Drakken's lair with a sense of dread vibrating through every part of his body. He slowly opened the doors to the main chamber, revealing Drakken and Shego arguing as usual.

"Shego! I told you that this is worth the money! Notice the elaborate design and the—"

"IT'S A LASER POINTER YOU FOOL!"

"Oh…"

"I'm back," Ron interrupted.

"What the—" Shego jumped. When she saw Ron, she calmed down and resumed her previous position. "Oh, it's just you."

"Stoppable, you came back at just the right time! I've perfected it!"

"I sure hope you're right. How long is this going to take?"

"Six hours to get all the genetics into you and just a few minutes to gas you with my super serum. You'll be out cold the whole time." Ron stared at the glass chamber with a lone table in it. He was extremely nervous, but some deep feeling of his willed him on. He followed Drakken into the chamber and laid down on the table. A few seconds later, he was sound asleep as Drakken proceeded to change Ron's life forever.

**8 Hours Later**

Ron groggily awoke in a soft bed and saw Drakken and Shego staring down at him.

"How'd it go?"

"You're alive, aren't you?" Shego replied.

"So uh, am I supposed to feel any different?" Ron asked as he stood up. The first thing he noticed was the ease and agility with which he slipped off the bed and into a standing position. The second thing he noticed was the clarity of questions he never understood before, particularly in math. He slowly looked down at himself and lifted up his shirt; he saw layers of muscle he never had before. "Whoa…"

"And this is only the beginning! In three months, you'll be at peak human form! I'm a genius! A genius!" yelled Drakken, dancing wildly about the room.

"And what happens after three months?"

"Theoretically, this formula I gassed you with sets your limits even higher."

"So I can still train and ascend past peak human form, but this…serum only takes me to the brink of _human_ limits?"

"Exactly! And you might even develop powers." Ron looked over at Shego and remembered instantly what Drakken was talking about.

"Right."

**Meanwhile…**

"Josh, I had a great time tonight," said Kim honestly as Josh was walking her home.

"Yea, same here." A minute of uncomfortable silence passed before the couple found themselves at Kim's door.

"You wanna come in?"

"Sure," said Josh, closely following her.

"My parents took the Tweebs out to a snow park overnight. We've got the house to ourselves," said Kim, inviting Josh to sit next to her on the couch. She snuggled tightly next to him. There was another moment of silence before Josh spoke.

"Kim, not to pressure you or anything but…do you think you're ready?"

Kim felt her heart rate jump rapidly.

'_Am I ready? My body's been ready but…is this right? I want to do this so bad physically but…can I? What about Ron?'_

_'Forget about him. Josh is probably a lot better than him in bed anyway.'_

_'What?!'_ Kim shivered in Josh's embrace.

_'Did I just think that?'_

_ 'You've got to move on sometime.'_

_ 'But our breaking up was **my** fault.'_

_ 'And him brushing you off every time you try to make amends is **his** fault.'_

_ 'No! He just needs time.'_

_ 'He's not coming back.'_ Kim wasn't sure of the veracity of the words, but she felt a sudden sadness sweep through her body.

"Yea, I'm ready…"

**Ron**

Ron shivered as he drove down the dark, icy roads of Middleton.

'_Wow, can this be real?'_

_'It's what you always wanted to be.'_

_'Strong? Smart?'_

_'Good enough for Kim Possible?'_

Ron shivered again before turning up the heater all the way. Trying to keep his thoughts away from Kim, he thought of the one person that could do it: Bonnie. He smiled as he thought of their sweet, innocent time at the ski lodge.

**_Flashback_**

Ron and Bonnie collapsed onto the empty couch in exhaustion. After a few hours of skiing, both of them were fatigued. Bonnie subtly put her head on Ron's shoulder, doing her best to take it slow. Ron just shyly smiled down at her beautiful face.

"Ron, have you ever just thought about…I dunno…us?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, only vaguely knowing what Bonnie meant.

"Well…I don't know how to say this but…these past few weeks, they've been magical. I've never met anyone like you before…so loyal, sweet, caring, and modest. And as much as I try, I don't think I can hold it in any longer. Ron, I think…I love you…" She looked up at Ron's face and clearly saw pain in it.

"Bonnie, I—"

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to…can we still be friends? Please?"

"No, it's not that. It's just that I'm not completely over Kim yet and…well, you remind me so much of what she used to be, of what she could have been." He sighed to himself. He saw hot tears brimming in Bonnie's eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "Sorry for being a bitch…sorry for not being Kim—" She was silenced by a gentle finger over her mouth.

"You didn't let me finish. When I see you now, I see what Kim could have been, maybe even better. But you're not Kim, and you know what? That's more than okay with me because quite frankly…I think we'd make a great couple." The shock of his words alone stopped the flow of Bonnie's tears. Despite her fatigue, she jumped up in glee and gave Ron a peck on the lips.

****

**_End Flashback_**

Ron found himself in deep thought once again.

_'Did I make the right choice? Do I still have feelings for Kim?'_

_ 'Why should you?'_

_ 'Because…because she's **Kim**…KP…'_

_ 'And?'_

_ 'Maybe I should have forgiven her. It's not like she didn't try.'_

_ 'She didn't do it for you. She did it to get you away from Bonnie.'_

_ 'Maybe…'_

Ron Stoppable looked up from his window and saw his house approaching. More urgent thoughts swept through his mind.

_'Okay, don't wear tight shirts or go shirtless in the house. There's no way I can get by this without having to do some explaining.'_

With that last thought, Ron stepped out of his car and walked inside, silently closing the door behind him.

A/N—Boring chapter eh? Don't worry! School will start in the next chapter, and we can finally see the social impact of Ron's newfound assets.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N—Wow, another update. Thanks for the reviews!

**Chapter 20**

Despite the immense snow that had accumulated during the Christmas holidays, the roads were clean and fit to drive on. Thus, Ron's prayers of having a few extra snow days tagged on to Winter vacation went unanswered. It was a small loss, considering all that he had gained. As had been usual for the past few weeks, Ron stopped at Bonnie's house to pick her up. She groggily got in, clearly lacking sleep.

It was a dark and chilly morning, and no one had wanted to go back to school. Ron drove on in silence for a few more minutes, just enjoying the hum and warmth of his heater.

"Ron, are you ready for the last semester of high school?" Bonnie asked in a drowsy voice.

"Are you kidding? I've been waiting for high school to end for ages."

"You know, I was scared of the last day of high school before I met you. I was scared that everything I had built up would just disappear."

"Do you still believe it will?"

"Of course, but now I know it doesn't matter anyway. I have you, and that's all I really needed anyway." Ron looked over at her and saw her smiling that cute smile of hers, revealing pearly white teeth. Her eyes were only half open as she struggled to stay awake in the comfortable atmosphere.

"So what do you want do after high school?"

"I'm really not sure. So much has changed these past few weeks, and I don't know where I'm headed. What about you?"

"I'm not sure either. I'm in the same boat as you; so much has changed for me these past few weeks. I always thought that…never mind." Bonnie didn't press the issue. They rode on in silence for a few more minutes before arriving at Middleton High School. Crowds of sleepy people were slowly making their way through the doors. Ron parked his car, and he and Bonnie stepped out and slowly made their way into the building. Bonnie silently slipped her hand into Ron's on the way. Despite everyone's sleepiness, whispers swept through the crowd as everyone stared at Ron and Bonnie as they made their way down the halls.

"…is that Bonnie…"

"…and _Stoppable?_"

"…who's that…"

"…loser…"

"…holding hands…"

No one was more stunned than a certain redhead that was four lockers down from Ron's. She stared wide-eyed and in dismay and barely noticed her boyfriend putting an arm around her.

"Anything wrong honey?" Kim snapped out of her trance.

"No, it's nothing, just…"

"Hey! What's Bonnie doing with _Ron_?" Kim heard the condescending tone in Josh's voice, something she had failed to notice months before. Kim didn't reply as Josh led her away to her first class.

**Lunch**

"Wow, this has definitely been an interesting day," Ron said, taking a seat next to Bonnie.

"Tell me about it. I don't know how many people asked me if I was going out with you."

"How long do you think they'll get used to it?"

"Who cares? I have you and you have me. What else matters?" Ron smiled genuinely, thanking the gods that he finally found a girl like Bonnie. She excused herself to the restroom, leaving Ron alone at the table temporarily. He saw the shadow of a hulking Brick Flag creep over him. Secretly, Brick had had a huge crush on Bonnie for the longest time and seeing her with Stoppable was too much.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing Stoppable?" he asked harshly.

"Eating," came the calm reply.

"Don't play games with me bitch. Stay away from Bonnie, if you know what's best for you."

"Does threatening people like that ever work?"

"Shut up Stoppable. I'm not playing games. She's _my_ girl, and it's going to be that way."

"Whatever," came Ron's glib reply. Brick was about to say something else when he saw Bonnie returning to the table.

"You better watch yourself," he said threateningly before he left. Bonnie sat down a few seconds later.

"So why was Brick just here?"

"Oh you know, just being his charming self."

"Was it about us?"

"Isn't everything?"

"Good point. You want my pudding? You've been staring at it nonstop after you finished yours."

"Thanks," said Ron sheepishly, as he took her bowl of pudding. His appetite had been insane ever since he got 'enhanced,' and he realized it was probably due to the intense muscle building his body had been experiencing. Quite frankly, he had eaten everything in sight and would still be hungry. When the lunch bell rang, he was still eating but stopped and threw away his trash. He wiped his hands and face and took Bonnie's hand into his and walked out of the cafeteria.

He felt an odd sensation and ducked on instinct. He saw Brick Flag's huge fist fortunately miss its intended target: his head.

"Brick, what the Hell?!" asked Bonnie in a frenzy, clearly worried for her boyfriend's safety. She found herself dragged away from Ron as a circle formed around Ron and Brick as chants of '_Fight! Fight! Fight!'_ rang through the crowd. At that moment, Kim and Josh had just made their way out of the cafeteria. Seeing Ron in trouble, Kim was about to leap into action before a voice in her head stopped her.

_'Let him fight his own fights.'_

_'He'll get hurt!'_

_'So?'_

_'So?!__ Brick's going to tear him up!'_

_'Ron isn't your business anymore.'_

_'But if he gets hurt it'll be my fault…'_

_'No, he chose to do this. Besides, maybe Brick will knock some sense into him..'_

Kim felt disgusted at her thoughts but nonetheless didn't intervene. She wasn't chanting or yelling anything, but she just watched on in nervous anticipation.

_'Maybe I should help him…'_

_'No! Let him realize just how hard life can be without you protecting him.'_

_'But…'_

_'You realized how hard it is without him. He needs to realize it to.'_

_'But this isn't right! He's going to get hurt!_

_'And you didn't? You're suspended this whole week because of him! He ruined Christmas!'_

_'But still…'_

_'He needs to realize…'_

_'Realize what?'_

_'That we need each other.'_

In the end, restraint won over Kim as she prayed that Ron would realize just how much they needed each other after this.

Bonnie desperately tried to make her way into the circle to stop Brick. She frantically screamed at Brick to try to stop this fight, but she knew it was of no use. She tried once again to leap into the fight, but Brick's friends held her back. She could only watch in horror as Brick through the first punch.

_No! How could I let this happen? I promised I'd protect him!_ She felt tears brimming in her eyes as she yelled futilely for Brick to stop.

Ron was trying his best to avert this fight. It wasn't just his dislike for violence, but he also didn't think it was going to be fair. After all, he was basically a super soldier. He saw Brick throw a punch, but to him it came in slow motion. He easily dodged it and headed towards the crowd, intent on walking away from the fight. The crowd gasped as Brick hit air and as Ron calmly made his way into the crowd. Now with wounded pride and heart, Brick was intent on making sure this fight lasted as long and as painful as possible. He grabbed Ron by the back of his shirt before Ron could make his way through the crowd and yanked with all two hundred twenty pounds of muscle. Instead of jerking Ron to the ground however, the loose shirt cleanly came off.

The crowd fell silent as they stared at the shirtless figure of the perennial 'loser.' A bulging six pack made its way up to finely developed pectorals. Veins ran down his bulky, toned arms. Without turning around, Ron took advantage of the surprise by making his way through the crowd. That simple action jerked Brick back into action. Yelling like a frenzied animal, he grabbed Ron before he could escape and threw him back into the middle of the circle.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" yelled Brick in a rage, throwing punch after powerful punch at Ron. Seeing that he had no choice, Ron dodged every one and prayed that someone would stop the fight before anyone got hurt. Seeing that Brick was getting nowhere, one of his buddies snuck up behind Ron and tried to hit him. Ron easily sidestepped as he silently thanked Drakken for this 'gift.' The stunned crowd was now completely silent.

After another minute of dodging, Mr. Barkin arrived on the scene. He easily made his way through the shocked crowd and found himself witnessing two football players trying to hit the school loser…and failing at it. When Brick's friend saw Mr. Barkin, he quickly fled from the scene and prayed that he wouldn't get in trouble. That just left an enraged Brick trying to demolish Stoppable. Using his military training, he grabbed Brick by the arm and pinned him to the ground.

"Stoppable! Flag! My office, NOW!"

"Mr. Barkin, it wasn't Ron's fault! He was just defe—"

"Rockwaller, I don't need your input right now! If I want to hear your story I will call you down! Now head to class!"

"Yes, sir," Bonnie said, reluctantly heading to her next period.

"Possible! It's time to return to your ISS!"

"Yes, sir," Kim said, giving Josh a peck on the cheek before setting off with the trio. Now she really needed to talk to Ron.

Ron, Kim, and Brick walked behind Barkin in silence before Kim opened her mouth.

"Ron, I—"

"Can it, KP." She abruptly shut up, realizing that this was not a good time to talk about them.

**After School**

"What happened?" asked a worried Bonnie in front of Ron's car.

"Nothing much. Brick got suspended for a few days."

"And you?"

"Nothing. Barkin called down all these witnesses and let me off the hook."

"Well, mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Depends. You can ask me on the way home." The couple got into the car and sped off, leaving the general population of Middleton High with enough to talk about for weeks.

A/N—This was definitely a fast chapter to write. I'm going to do a crossover about Justice League hopefully.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N—Yes, _The Day it Changed_ was twenty-four chapters many months ago, but I deleted the last four and am now rewriting them. Similar plot? Maybe. Sorry for the LONG wait. I really am.

Either way, I suggest you read these "new" chapters even if you're read the four deleted ones. I don't have the four deleted ones saved anywhere so it probably will be a lot different now that I think about it. Please read and review! And I'll try my best to update.

Chapter 21 

Immaculate wintry snow fell on a lone car driving down a slick road. Its headlights could barely guide the driver to his destination, allowing only a few feet of sight. _'Why did it suddenly have to blizzard now?'_ The driver's thoughts were interrupted by the inevitable question.

"What happened back there?"

"What do you mean?" This was too much for her. She didn't need this right now.

"Ron, it's been a very stressful day. Are you going to tell me what happened to you or not?" Her stern voice was startling because it was the first time she spoke to him like that. It was not unkind but just…tired.

"I'm sorry, Bonnie," he said and ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "But I can't tell you. Not yet, anyway."

"Why?" Now it was his turn to be irritated.

"Is it not enough for me to say I can't tell you? It's for your own good—our own good."

"No, it's not enough! You can't just expect me to drop something like this. I've seen what secrets can do to people—"

"Without secrets, we can't be human. I'm afraid to tell you. I'm afraid of the consequences. You know I care about you more than anything in the world, so why can't you trust me on this?"

"Because—you're right. You can tell me when you're ready." She gave him the 'Bonnie' pout, which meant that it was probably far from over, but she'd drop it for now. He sighed. She knew it'd weaken his resolve, but they both knew it wasn't enough.

"Okay, how about we snuggle up by your fireplace or anywhere and watch _Titanic_?" It was her favorite movie—sappy, glorious, and tragic at the same time. Her face noticeably lit up, since it was one of the movies that Ron downright refused to watch with her the first time. '_So stubborn_.'

"Will you cook too?"

"Anything to make you happy." And she believed it.

**X.X**

Kim slowly drove home through the treacherous snow. The roads were jammed with cars going immeasurably sluggish as they struggled to see through the dense white downpour. She didn't mind, rather enjoying the time alone with the heater cranked up. Josh had offered her dinner at his place, but she wasn't in the mood for it. She wasn't in the mood for much of anything anymore. Except for one thing that wouldn't get off her mind.

No matter how hard she tried, tearful brown eyes would stare into her emerald greens. She would never forget that moment—the moment of her greatest mistake. However, she realized it went deeper than that—far deeper. Ron wouldn't hate her because of a failed relationship. She understood that their bond was too strong. It would have taken so much more, a crescendo of events that built up to the dramatic climax.

Now things had changed so much in his life and for the first time, she wasn't allowed in. Sure, she had kept Ron out of her life plenty of times, like that Halloween Party or Tara's pool party, but she never realized that he'd reciprocate the actions one day. The worst part was she understood she deserved it. However, that didn't change the fact that Ron went from scrawny to Superman in those few weeks. She desperately wanted to know what was going on, but she was _afraid_ to ask. _'The great Kim Possible, scared like a little girl,' _her mind mockingly said to her.

She just felt so helpless.

**X.X**

Sensei meditated quietly on the side of Mount Yamanouchi, a small distance away from his ninja school. Usually, these were times he relaxed and relieved the stress of teaching the old arts. Unfortunately, his mind had become more and more troubled as time passed—each night brought a new nightmare that was connected to all the others somehow. He just had to find that connection. _'Something isn't right.'_

Though many in the school felt great unease, no one openly admitted it, brushing it off as their own paranoia. After all, a slight tremor in the breeze and an anomalous shaking of tree branches didn't symbolize catastrophic doom did it? Maybe the weather was just changing. But Sensei knew this wasn't the case. Maybe it wasn't the 'catastrophic doom', but something big was coming. He could only imagine how greatly it'd affect the world.

**X.X**

This time around the movie _Titanic_ didn't seem so bad to Ron. Then again, the first time he saw it he didn't have Bonnie Rockwaller all over him as they made out for most of the movie. They barely took time to breathe as they embraced in another liplock, and Ron's hands dropped to just below her waist before he steadily calmed himself. She was just so irresistible that Ron couldn't resist a slight grab of her buttocks before letting go. If she noticed, she gave no sign of it, hands now running up and down his body. He was tempted to stick a hand down her pants, but he stopped himself. Their relationship didn't go very fast, and Ron didn't care too much about that. There was so much time later, and it wasn't like he planned to leave her soon anyway. So he just laid back and enjoyed what he was sharing already.

**X.X**

As Kim stared at her computer screen, she surprisingly realized that she was actually bored. Normally, she would have enjoyed this downtime—she did live the busiest life in Middleton after all. However, this wasn't like every other time. Usually, when she wasn't partying, she hung out with…_him_.

She sighed. Things were in such disarray, and she understood that she could blame no one except herself. It just downright hurt. Even worse, Ron had taken to _Bonnie_, and to add insult to injury, they appeared to like each other. Not even Kim could deny that Bonnie seemed different.

_'It's like we traded places.'_

_'Sad how a dog never misses his tail until she loses it, eh?'_

_'Shut up.'_

She missed him so much that it hurt just to hear his name. It burned her so deeply inside when she saw him walking hand in hand with Bonnie. If Bonnie were doing this to get back at her, she wouldn't have minded as much.

_'But it's not about you anymore, is it?'_ It wasn't. Bonnie genuinely liked Ron and was thankful for him.

Kim was too late. Months ago she barely saw him and didn't think much of it. Now she rarely saw him and it was tearing her apart.

_'How things change, right Kimmie?'_

_'Shut up.'_

What irked her the most was what happened to Ron. He was so…built. She suspected a muscle ring, but Wade crushed that theory. It's not like a muscle ring could have given him those reflexes anyway. He fought like a trained assassin—except he didn't even want to fight.

His life was so complicated for the first time, and she wasn't there to witness it.

_'Then again, maybe there was so much more to him before too, but I never realized it.'_

Maybe.

**X.X**

Sensei's eyes jerked open. In an instant, everything became so clear to him. All of his dreams—nightmares—centered around the Lotus Blade, which meant that Ron-san had to be involved in some way.

_'He is the chosen one.'_

_'Yes.'_

"Sensei, are you okay? Something felt amiss here." It was Yori, one of his favorite students and close associate to Stoppable-San.

"Yori, I need to get on a plane and fast." His voice rarely got so urgent, and it scared Yori.

"Why, Sensei?"

"Please no questions until I get back. I have to find Stoppable-san."

"I'll get plane tickets right now, Sensei."

"Thank you." As she ran off, Sensei felt another disturbance in the air. _'It's time you be a hero again, Stoppable-san.'_

Or the harbinger to war.

A/N—Well, a lot of you are probably thinking, "I WAITED SIX MONTHS FOR THIS!" Um, well, yea. Sorry if I let you down—it's been a busy year. Drop a review or something though; I'd still love to hear your feedback. Also, I'll try to update more.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N—Faster update eh? Please read and review!

Before I start, I'd like to address my reviewers. Thank you for taking your time to review--it really motivates me to write and many of you have given good suggestions.

**Shanesnest--**That's quite a long review you gave me, and I really appreciate it. When I started writing this fic, I had seen only two or three episodes of Kim Possible. Now, I've seen no more than ten, but I'm getting the gist of it all. The thing I like about the show is that you don't have to see every episode to understand the fan fiction.

My early chapters were my first few chapters on and I was very inexperienced back then. Granted, I'm not really a good writer now, but I was pretty bad back then and spent virtually no time on my work. Thus, I was rather disappointed with the early chapters too.

The Kim and Josh thing--I really wish I knew about this "Eric" guy before writing their relationship so deep. However, Josh is nonetheless the typical charming guy.

Even though sex is so rampant among us teens in real life, cartoons like this are meant to…transcend that I guess. I try to tone the sex down but fail sometimes.

Yes, pressure to write used to be an issue for me. Now I write for the love of writing rather than for accumulating reviews or getting a high SAT score. Anyway, thanks for your lengthy and helpful review.

**Mysterios--**Thanks for the compliment, but I'm really not even close to that level

**KPWannaB--**I definitely apologize for the long wait, but with varsity basketball and track and tons of schoolwork--well, I just couldn't find the time

**Who Cares what my name is?--**Glad you like it.

**Natasel--**I appreciate your honestly and criticism and, granted, you are correct. Personally, I do think I've gotten better, but that's just my opinion. However, I understand that my dialogue is weird at times and very melodramatic. Sounds like a bad soap opera script? Well, in essence it is a bad soap opera. I took AP Composition this year for training, but that's all essay and literature analysis rather than fictional story writing. Anyway, thanks for the constructive criticism--it's a lot more effective than a "YOUR STORY SUCKSq!#$#" kind of deal.

**Jawelik--**Yes, I do remember you--you're a registered user right? As to everyone else, I apologize for the long wait

**DarkCloud--**Thanks.

**Seras--**Thanks.

**BrattyBrina--**Well, here's a new chapter

**qtpie--**Glad to see you checking out one of my works after I checked out yours

**ron-sama**--Well, I'm glad to see you've been a fan since the beginning. Thanks.

**Ron Stop**--This update has been faster.

**gargoylesama-**-Yes, as writers it just isn't easy, is it? Just remember, write for the sake of writing.

**Brimmstone--**Thanks.

Well, that's about a page of thank-you's and apologies for my updating. By the way, from now on I can't address every review because that's very time consuming.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 22**

Two months ago, Bonnie Rockwaller found solace where she least expected. Not only did it save her life, but it gave her so many reasons to go on. Ron had been her savior, and in doing so he had found his own inner peace.

Two months ago, she was on the verge of suicide—popular but friendless, beautiful but empty, admired but unloved. The event that finally pushed her to her limits was when Kim Possible got her kicked off the Cheer squad. It had been the worst day of her life, but in retrospect she understood that it was her best. When she had stood over the bathroom sink with pills in her hand, Ron had saved her. What drove him to follow her and be so sure of himself in that moment—well, she didn't understand it. It just seemed like destiny.

What she still didn't understand was that he needed her, too. At first, it was to take his mind off of Kim, but now it was for her. He too wondered how the impossible became not only possible, but reality. Wasn't that Kim's specialty?

**X.X**

_Destiny._ Sensei believed strongly in free will and the strength of the human spirit. He saw destiny as more of a guide rather than an ultimatum, but destiny or not he didn't like where he was headed. Things had become so ambiguous that, for perhaps the first time in his life, he felt lost. Something had happened in the past month, but he wasn't sure what. Which is why this time he personally came to the states with Hirotaka.

**X.X**

Night saw Kim still wondering about Ron--all the times she had gone wrong and how to make it up. She really did love him, but there was no way to articulate that--even if he did talk to her, she couldn't just go out and say it.

_'Of all people, though, why Bonnie?'_

_'Bonnie never gave Ron a break.'_

_'She always laughed at him, demeaned him.'_

But like a pendulum, everything changed. She resolved to do her best to make things swing back.

_Beep! Beep!_ For the first time in what seemed like ages, the Kimmunicator beeped its familiar tone. Wade's face popped up on the screen.

"Kim, trouble in Japan. Monkey Fist is at a standoff with a Japanese ninja school on Mount Yamanouchi."

"Can you give me a ride?" He jokingly gave her an insulted look.

"Come on, Kim. After all you've done, I've practically got a line of people begging to give you a ride."

"Thanks Wade. You're the best."

"And don't you forget it," he said with a grin. "I'll page Ron now. Later." _Ron._

"Wait, Wade!"

"Yea?"

"Um, nothing."

**X.X**

Ron was busily typing a report on his computer when he heard a familiar beeping sound. Reaching in his bottom drawer under his clothes, he pulled out the familiar looking communications device he hadn't used in ages.

"Hey, Wade. Long time, no see."

"Hey, Ron. I have a mission for you."

"For me or…Kim?"

"Both of you."

"Together?"

"Obviously." Wade answered with a confused look on his face. _Why's Ron asking these questions? _"Is there a problem?"

"Yes. I'm not talking to…_her_ anymore. Besides, she has a new partner."

Wade sighed. "I thought Kim was acting a bit weird. Listen, I don't know what happened to you two, but there are bigger things going on than you and Kim right now. You two have been proven to be good, and now lives depend on you. If you don't help, Monkey Fist could slaughter many students at a ninja school in…"

"Japan…on Mount Yamanouchi," Ron finished, more to himself than Wade. For some reason, he just had a feeling there was trouble there before Wade even called. "I'll be there. Hook me up with a ride?"

"Kim's house."

"But…"

"You have a responsibility. Whatever you two are going through--it needs to be put on hiatus."

"Okay." Ron sighed in defeat and shut off his communicator. It was time for him to go on a mission again…with Kim.

**X.X**

_Ding Dong!_ Mrs. Possible assumed Kim's ride was here and called for her to come downstairs.

"In a minute, mom!" She was still frantically equipping herself with her gadgets.

"Alright, Kim." She set down the dishes she was doing and washed her hands before proceeding to the door.

"Thank you so much for the ride, Mr.--" She went silent when she found herself face to face with Ron Stoppable. "R, Ron?" she yelled in surprise.

"Ron!" came two voices from behind her as the tweebs scrambled to the door from the television.

"Ron! It's been--" Jim started.

"Too long." Tim finished.

"Are you and our sis--"

"--friends again?" He gave a small smile, but the look in his eyes said it all. They both cast their eyes downwards before Tim brightened up.

"You know, you can always come visit us--"

"--without seeing our sis because--" Dr. Mrs. Possible gave her children a death glare that prompted them to shut up immediately.

"Don't you boys have a movie to finish watching?"

"Yea, but--" Jim started before Tim pulled him away, well aware of how much trouble they'd get in if they stayed.

"So, Ron, you're going on this mission, huh?"

"Yea."

"First one in a long time. What's it been? A few months?"

"Yea, around that."

"Sorry I'm late! This is my first mission in some time, and I had to get--" Kim immediately stopped talking when she saw who was standing at her doorway. "R, Ron?"

"Well, I'm going to go check on Jim and Tim." Mrs. Possible quickly excused herself to leave the former best friends alone.

"You left your grappling hook in my room." _'Well, that was a great way to start a conversation_.' She was relieved to find that Ron just silently followed her without giving her some lecture on the emptiness of their former friendship. _'At least that's a start.'_

"So…how've things been going lately?"

"Just fine," he said coldly.

"Here's your grappling hook." She reached into her closet and pulled out a box marked "Ron's stuff." She took the grappling hook out of it and handed it to him.

"Thanks." No hatred. No emotion in his voice either. Inside, he felt like a furnace, still burning with past flames controlled by his present restraints. Kim didn't say anything more, thinking that Ron would talk when he felt ready to. However, she was still burning with curiosity about what happened to Ron with the Brikk fight and the whole Bonnie fiasco.

_'Now just isn't the time.'_ Ron just took his grappling hook and nonchalantly walked out of the house and took a seat on the front porch. It was still a cold winter's night, but he didn't mind too much. A few minutes later, his mind started wandering.

_'I haven't seem Jim or Tim, or Dr. Mrs. Possible or Dr. Possible in ages. I've known them all nearly my whole life. They're practically family. Is it fair to them for me to just erase them from my life?'_

_'Was it fair to you for their **precious** daughter to do what she did?'_

_'It's not their fault.'_

_'No, it isn't.'_

The deafening sound of the incoming jet jerked Ron from his thoughts. The white plane smoothly landed on Kim's lawn, and the door slid open. From behind him, Ron heard the door swing open and saw Kim walk past him without a word. He silently followed her into the plane, and the pilot took off.

**X.X**

"Sensei, we are five minutes away from Stoppable-san's house."

"Thank you, Hirotaka." Sensei sat up in the front seat of their rented car. He had been meditating while Hirotaka drove to Ron's house and had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Nevertheless, he needed to take Ron back to Yamanouchi with him as soon as possible. Not just that, but he needed to warn Ron.

"Sensei, we are here." Hirotaka got out of the driver's seat and opened the car door for Sensei. Sensei briskly hurried to the front door and rang the doorbell, as Hirotaka trailed closely behind. A middle-aged, blond woman opened the door and kindly greeted them.

"May I help you?"

"Are you Stoppable-san's mother?"

"Ron's? Yes, why?"

"We need to talk to him." Sensei's voice was urgent, uncharacteristic of his usual calm self.

"Ron's not here right now, can I take a--" Sensei stiffened.

"Where is he?"

"He just left on a mission--to Japan or somewhere. I can take a message if you want."

"No, that'll be fine. Thank you for your time," Sensei said flatly as Mrs. Stoppable gave a small smile and closed the door.

"What now, Sensei? Ron-san is in Japan. Is it possible that…"

"I don't know. We cannot take any risks. We have to wait for him to return."

"I'll get a hotel room then, Sensei." Sensei just silently walked back to the car.

**X.X**

"Thanks for the ride, Eva," Kim said to the beautiful brunette.

"Oh, no problem. It's the least I can do after you single-handedly saved me from a mob of ninja warriors."

"No big. They weren't very trained anyway." Eva nodded before glancing at Ron.

"And who are you again?" Ron glared at her before answering.

"Ron."

"Yes, that's right. Anyway, what's the mission this time Kim?"

_'That's right. She still gets all the credit.'_

_'No one cares about the fact that I'm risking my life too.'_

"We're going to have to stop Monkey Fist from hostilely taking over a Japanese ninja school." Ron just sat there, virtually invisible to the other two people in the plane. Rufus was sound asleep in his pocket and was oblivious to everything around him.

"Are you going to kick ass again?"

"Hopefully. You know, I haven't been on a mission in some time."

"I was wondering why I haven't seen you on the news lately. Girl, you're still keeping your sleek figure."

"Coming from you…wow, thanks."

"I bet the boys are practically fighting over you. You got a boyfriend?" Ron slightly twitched at the question. Kim caught the motion and mentally slapped herself.

_'Why didn't you just go to sleep like anyone else would on a twelve hour plane ride?'_

"Um, yea."

"Wait, was it that guy on saw on the news with you around Christmas time?"

"Yea." Kim did not like where this was headed, and Ron just struggled to keep his composure.

"What's his name…Josh Mankey right?"

_'Wow, she remembers his name after seeing him once on TV and can't remember mine after I helped save her.' Ron bitterly thought to himself._

"Yea." Kim was now desperately trying to kill the conversation by keeping her lines as short as possible.

_'Hopefully, she'll get the hint or just pass the subject,' _Kim hoped to herself.

"Good catch. He's really hot. Could be a keeper, Kim. Speaking of, I thought he was your partner now."

_'Could this get any worse? Doesn't she see Ron RIGHT there?'_

_'Then again, he's always been invisible hasn't he?'_

_'No.'_

_'No?' She mentally sighed in resignation._

_'Yes.'_

_'And you're just beginning to understand that firsthand. Can you blame him for resenting you?'_

"No, not really." _'Move on to a different topic'_ Kim mentally begged her.

"Well, he just seems like a better…fit. I mean, that is why he's your boyfriend right?"

_'I'm not even sure if I like him anymore.' The admittance shocked her. For too long, she had only seen the "perfect" Josh Mankey. Now, she saw the tarnish on the gold._

"Well…"

"Honestly, Kim. Him or _him_," Eva said condescendingly, motioning to Ron, who promptly jumped out of his seat. He was angry--a lifetime of condescension does that--at Eva's tone but didn't show it.

"You said you had a private booth for us?" The brunette barely glanced over before answering.

"Second door on your right." Her eyes were immediately back on Kim.

"Well?" Kim was startled at what had just transpired. She talked as if Ron wasn't even there, like he was invisible or just _insignificant._

"If Ron is willing to still come with me on missions, then I'd definitely prefer him," she said honestly, much to Eva's surprise. "Now may I be excused to my booth? It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

**X.X**

Monkey Fist was rather enjoying his more developed mystical monkey power as he and his monkey companions stopped another attempt at breaking his siege. Something--he wasn't sure what--had amplified it. He just woke up one morning and there it was. However, he _knew_ that it was inextricably tied to Ron Stoppable, and their meeting was inevitable. He could barely wait.

A/N--I hoped you liked it. Please drop a review if you can!


	23. Chapter 23

A/N--This is the LAST CHAPTER of _The Day it Changed_. However, I have a sequel planned, and it's none of the works I have posted right now. However, THERE IS A SEQUEL! It's called _Heroes' Path_, and you can find it on my profile page.

Thanks to all you loyal readers, and enjoy!

****

Chapter 23

There was no stopping the merciless assault of Monkey Fist and his comrades; with little effort, they had broken into the school. The simian leader slowly stalked towards his destination--the Lotus Blade. He was a predator on the prowl.

One of the students threw a punch at him from behind, fully expecting to finally bring him down. At the last moment, Monkey Fist ducked and, in a blink of an eye, roundhoused the assailant. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

"Such a pity Stoppable lives so far away. I might actually get the blade before he gets here."

"You aren't even worthy of speaking his name!" yelled a feminine voice from his side. It was no doubt Yori. She had given him so much trouble in the past--if it weren't for her, he'd have the Lotus Blade by now.

"Shush little girl. It's a well known fact that I too am a monkey master." He smirked as she got into a fighting stance. _'I'm going to enjoy this.'_ He turned around and stared deep into her obsidian eyes. They radiated such determination and…what was that? Loyalty? It was of no consequence.

She struck first and hard. She faked a left with her arm before kicking with her right foot. _'Too slow' _Monkey Fist mused to himself. At the last moment when Yori was sure she had gotten him, Monkey Fist's arm blocked her foot.

"Well, someone's been training," he said matter-of-factly. "Just not enough. But I'll give you credit where it's due--that would have worked a year ago." Her attacks got more and more furious, faster and faster. Monkey Fist just dodged left, then right, parried her kick, countered her body shot, and in one swift motion drove his fist into her left cheek…all the while moving closer to the blade.

Yori had realized this from the beginning and desperately tried to lure him away, but every time she tried, he just turned his back and walked towards the weapon. As the battle dragged on and she felt herself tiring, she realized something far too late.

He was toying with her.

By then, the blade was in plain reach of the Monkey Master and he didn't hesitate to grasp the legendary weapon.

"Well, this almost seems anti-climatic. No heavenly light or crashes of the thunder in the background." Yori threw one last desperation punch at him. They both knew it wouldn't work, and Monkey Fist easily sidestepped it.

"Stoppable-san will stop you," she breathlessly rasped before collapsing to the ground in fatigue. She had been punching at him nearly nonstop for twenty minutes and had taken quite a beating herself.

"Perhaps. But you won't be there to witness it if he does. You see, I would spare you if I didn't think it'd bite me in the ass someday. Give your dead comrades my regards," he smirked and lifted the blade above his head. "Good-bye, Yori."

Aeons passed as they stared into each other's eyes. The fighting in the background crept to a silent halt. They had all sensed that something was coming. Monkey Fist lowered the blade with a grin; only he knew who it really was.

****

X.X

"Thanks for the ride again, Eva!" Kim waved at the brunette as she got off the plane and started towards the school.

"Like you say Kim, no big!" she yelled back. Ron was silent the whole time as he ran after Kim. Eva didn't really mind at all, since he was basically invisible to her anyway.

They heard the battle raging from outside of the school walls, and as they made their way in, everything seemed to fall silent. It was as if a sudden armistice had been declared without a single word. The duo silently walked towards the front building before Ron stopped.

"Ron, what're you doing?" Kim hissed at him. A broken relationship was one thing--endangering the mission, and thus people's lives, was something she would not stand for.

"Waiting for me, obviously." They could see Monkey Fist's silhouette in the shadows as he made his way out with Yori slung over his left shoulder and the Lotus Blade in his right hand. Uncharacteristic of him, he gently laid Yori on the ground.

"Yori," Ron whispered. However, he knew that Monkey Fist wasn't going to hurt her…yet.

"You know that girl?" Kim asked suspiciously. Ron's eyes answered for him and in an instant she was in her fighting stance. "How often do we have to beat you and your hairy, disgusting friends before you finally quit?" she asked haughtily. Monkey Fist was inclined to laugh but instead just slightly winced at her insult. _'What the Hell?'_ he thought to himself.

"Kim Possible, for once this does not concern you. Stoppable and I--now we have business to attend to."

"Like hell it doesn't!" she angrily yelled back. The past few weeks had been incredibly hard on her, and she was looking for a way--any way--to vent out that anger. Even if it meant slowly dragging out a fight with a villain just to see him suffer.

"Such arrogance from such fierce beauty. I'm beginning to see why Stoppable despises you so much." He smirked when he realized he was getting inside her head. She was fuming, on the verge of exploding. "Such a hypocrite too--you claim to be a hero for the love of helping people but that isn't it, is it? You love being a hero."

_'Do I?'_ a voice in her head asked.

_'Well, I obviously don't not like it.'_ Monkey Fist's next words broke the camel's back.

"A lot more important than being a good friend right?" The dam burst. Kim's eyes became fiery as she leapt at the laughing Simian. However, she realized she wasn't getting closer when she saw Ron restraining her.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"This isn't your fight." His voice was still so icy, but her emotions were too far out of control to see anything but red.

"LIKE HELL IT ISN'T. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO, BUT HE SURE AS HELL MADE IT MY FIGHT. I'M WARNING YOU NOW, RON--YOU BETTER LET GO OF ME."

"Not until you calm down." Kim clearly wasn't herself anymore. Months of stress finally built up to this one moment.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME NOW!" She kicked at his head and made contact with it. He reluctantly let go not out of pain but in astonishment. Six monkeys jumped in front of Monkey Fist in the same instant that Kim broke free. They initially jumped at the approaching attacker one by one, but each met the same fate anyway.

The first one tried to bite her but didn't come anywhere close as Kim grabbed it by the neck and threw it down. She proceeded to punch it square in the nose and felt a crunching sound. The rest jumped at her together in anger but couldn't even touch the heroine. The second one came rushing at her with his right arm in punching position, only to find it broken a few seconds later.

The third was knocked straight out with a roundhouse to the head. Each hit brought a satisfied smile to Kim's face, and she realized she was actually enjoying this. She had begun to calm down, and it scared her. By the time the rest of the monkeys were demolished, there was only a fuming Monkey Fist to deal with. Now she was the one smirking.

"I'll admit I did that one for myself," she said smugly, still feeding off the rage boiling inside of her. Just thinking of the past month justified her actions to herself.

_'Ron going out with Bonnie.'_

"Ron not showing up for our annual holidays.'

"Ron yelling at me at Christmas.'

'Ron hating me.' There was obviously a common theme.

__

"Kim Possible. You call torturing monkeys heroism? You might as well be a villain because at least, at least you wouldn't be even more of a hypocrite." He smirked when he saw the look on Stoppable's face. "Stoppable hates you, doesn't he? Is that why you're so angry? Don't you just want to rip my head off for saying that? Well, bring it." He finished his statement solemnly. She half expected Ron to grab her again when he made a move forwards, but she saw he was only getting a better angle to watch the fight from.

_'Not that he'd be able to stop me after what that freak said.'_

She lunged at him, pretending that he was Bonnie. Pretending that he was everything she had ever loathed. Through it all, she fed off of her emotions. Somehow, he was blocking nearly everything and acted unphased when she actually landed a punch. She aimed for his face, only for it to move to the right a split second before she even touched a hair on it. It seemed futile, so she resorted to the last thing she could think of. She went for his manhood.

It was so unexpected that Monkey Fist didn't even see her feet move. What was even more unexpected was when a hand blocked her foot--it wasn't Monkey Fist's either. It was Ron's.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"The right thing," he whispered. Yori was coming around and both Ron and Monkey Fist looked down at her affectionately. Kim looked from Ron to Monkey Fist to Yori, trying to make sense of what was going on. Her anger had been replaced by shock, though she was glad to have vented so much of it. Monkey Fist was the first to speak.

"You know, I would have blocked that," he just said matter-of-factly.

"Maybe, but this is our fight. I don't need you any more exhausted than you already are." Monkey Fist openly laughed.

"I'm not even tired. You see, these past few months I've ascended to a level of fighting that I didn't think possible--if you'll excuse the pun," he said, motioning to the still surprised Kim. "It's obviously my--actually, our Mystical Monkey magic developing, which I'm sure you've felt too."

"Stoppable-san, you have to stop him," Yori said sluggishly as she regained consciousness.

"Quiet, girl. I let you live only because your friend Stoppable and I have become so connected. I pick up on his every subtle emotion, and I'm sure he picks up on mine. Well, Ron, how about it?" Ron nodded, knowing all too well what Monkey Fist was talking about. He could almost feel the monkey hybrid's thoughts as he got into fighting stance, and Monkey Fist did the same.

"This isn't your fight, Kim. Stand back." She stood still, contemplating her choices. A few seconds later, she gave him his room.

Monkey Fist struck first this time, seeing he had met someone on his level. To his surprise, Ron actually dodged the first attack before delivering a right jab to his face--a hard jab that knocked Monkey Fist down. He swiftly got back up and jumped back into the fight. Their movements became a blur as Kim looked on. All previous fighting between the students and the monkeys had stopped as they gathered in a circle and looked on.

_'Is Ron a better fighter than me?'_ Kim asked herself surprisingly.

_'He…he was just a clumsy fool a few months ago. Almost got us killed on our last mission."_ That had been six months ago.

_'Then again, you did always underestimate him didn't you?'_

'What?'

'The Ron factor. How many missions have we completed just because he was there?' She couldn't even recall them all because there were so many; yet she had let her own sense of infallibility veil everything Ron had done. She had truly believed she didn't need him for missions, that he was just a distraction. He had been so much more though.

_'He wasn't just a distraction.'_

'No, he was your partner--an invaluable one--not the bumbling distraction the media made him out to be…when they decided to even mention him anyway.' She had realized in the past few weeks that she needed him in her life. Now, she realized she needed him for missions too.

As if on cue, Monkey Fist collapsed to the ground in defeat.

"There can only be one supreme Monkey Master, Stoppable." He motioned for one of his monkeys to pick up the Lotus Blade. Kim was inclined to stop it before Ron motioned for her to stay put. The monkey slowly grasped the blade and walked over to Ron, setting it as his feet. "We lost, my monkey minions. I lost. Let's go home."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," said Kim, back to her old form.

"Let him go. We've had enough fighting for one day."

"Ron, you're just going to let him pack up and escape after assaulting a ninja school?"

"Yes, and I believe we have a lot to talk about on our way back too." Kim was too shocked to stop Monkey Fist. Ron was going to talk to her?

"Thank you, Stoppable-san. You have saved us once again." Yori was tired but none worse for the wear. Monkey Fist had done a number on her, but nothing fatal. The next few weeks would be a time of healing.

"As a friend used to say, no big."

****

X.X

Sensei awoke in the middle of the night with a content smile. For the first time in weeks, he didn't dream of destruction.

"Sensei, what is it?" asked Hirotaka, who immediately jumped up in a fighting stance.

"Everything's going to be okay. Stoppable-san has the Lotus Blade."

"You feel it too? Does that mean our mission is complete?"

"For now. Let's go home."

****

X.X

"Ron, thanks for at least talking to me now. I--" Ron was about to interrupt before Kim motioned for him to stop. She had things she needed to say. "I've missed you so much, and I've done a lot of growing up during that time. I appreciate you, and everything you've done for me. You've saved my life, my reputation, my missions, and, for the longest time, you've upheld our friendship. I guess there came a point where it finally broke you--where not even you could hold together what we had left, and I'm so sorry for that. I can't live without the Ron factor."

"I can't say it's been easy for me either, KP."

"I know, and I'm so sorry for that."

"It's just that, when I saw you with Josh so soon--well, it doesn't matter. I'm just going to have to live with that."

"You're wrong. What you feel matters to me, so much more now. Besides, I broke up with Josh."

"What--when?"

"Just a few minutes ago, when I said I'd catch up to you."

"Isn't it midnight back there?"

"Yea, which is probably why he just said 'ok' and went back to sleep. Either that, or he probably never cared that much anyway."

"I'm sorry." Ron apologizing? It didn't seem right to her.

"Don't be. You were right this whole time. Do you think we could ever…be friends again?"

"We can at least try. I think I've given you enough hell."

"Ditto that. And do you think we'll ever, you know…" she started nervously. "Be the way we were?"

"I don't think things can ever be the way they were…not after the day it changed."

"But we can try right?" she asked hopefully.

"Yea, KP. We can try." They both stared out of the plane windows in silence as the sun rose. Maybe there could be a new beginning.

****

A/N--Yes, this story lost its angst near the end. However, if I do decide to start writing the sequel (only by popular demand), then it will still go along the lines of a depressing fic. Also, it would most likely be a crossover fic, so keep that in mind.

However, if not enough people are interested in reading it, I'll just leave it at this and you K/R or B/R shippers can imagine the future as you will.

Thanks to everyone who read this story, and please read and review to tell me your opinions.

THERE IS NOW A SEQUEL CALLED **_HEROE'S PATH_**!


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